Cold Blooded
by MattheJ1
Summary: Anna travels to a distant castle to learn the secrets of a reclusive vampire. But the woman she finds is not nearly as monstrous as the clergy would have had her believe... Contains Elsanna.
1. Chapter 1: A case for humanity

Cold Blooded

**Chapter one**

**A case for humanity**

**Wallachia, 1455**

The massive castle door creaked open, sending a wave of fresh air into the dust-coated foyer. Anna walked in, hand clutching her upper arm.

The room was grandiose, from the red carpet at her feet, to the grand staircase leading to the mezzanine above her, to the ornate chandelier hanging above her head. Anna took in the manor's extravagance, while remaining alert for any movements in the shadows. Her hand hovered over her whip, holstered at her side.

The door closed behind her on its own, as if eager to return to its natural state. Anna took one last look at the twilight-soaked plains outside before the door slammed shut with a resounding thud.

"Who goes there?" a voice boomed from up above. Anna wheeled around and looked to the upper floor. There, hands on the railing, stood a pale figure clad in black.

Anna swallowed her fear. "I am Anna," she said. "Anna Stoker. Am I speaking to Elsa Tepes?"

"You are indeed," the figure stated.

"In that case…" Moving slowly, Anna detached the strap holding her whip. Then, leaving it coiled up, she placed it on the floor in front of her.

"Oh?" said Elsa.

"I didn't bring this whip for you," Anna said confidently. "Only to get to you. And if there's nobody else standing between me and you, I no longer have need of it."

"Is that so?" Elsa said.

Then, without warning, she grabbed the handrail, leapt over it, and dropped down. She landed right in front of Anna, mere inches away. Her knees didn't even bend as she landed.

"Well, here you are," she hissed. "Face to face, so to speak. Is it everything you hoped for?"

She was tall, far taller than Anna had expected, and deathly pale. Her black cloak was accented with red streaks down the front, to give the impression of blood trickling down from the corners of her mouth, and her pointed teeth were bared.

Anna flinched, but didn't take a step backwards. "Quite," she said, not breaking eye contact with the towering woman.

Elsa seemed impressed. She began to walk around Anna's, inspecting her. She took note of her bandaged arm, her laden rucksack, and the silver-tipped daggers at her waist. "You're still armed," she noted, returning to Anna's front, though now standing at a more conversational distance.

"With defensive weapons," Anna said. "I'm not so foolish as to discard all of my protection."

"Yet still, your pretense of disarming yourself was a false one."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Would you have me strip naked before meeting with a vampire?"

Elsa eyed her up and down. "Well, I must say, I wouldn't be opposed," she said with a smirk.

Anna folded her arms, giving Elsa an unimpressed stare.

Elsa sniffed. "You're bleeding already," she said, gesturing at her arm. "Trying to make things easier for me?"

"Courtesy of your…doorman," Anna replied. "He was not as open to conversation as you are."

Elsa noted the blood spattered on the discarded whip. "Shame," she said. "He was a good doorman. That door hasn't opened in five years, I'll have you know."

"Yes, that's when the villagers told me the last traveler tried to reach your castle," Anna said. "Intending to kill you, I'm sure."

"I can't say for sure," Elsa said with a smile. "He wasn't too talkative once I ripped his throat out."

Anna said nothing.

"So, tell me, Anna Stoker. Why are you here, if not to kill me?" Elsa asked, beginning to feel genuine curiosity.

"That can wait," Anna said.

"Can it, now?" Elsa leaned her head forward, her grin widening until all of her teeth were showing. "You seem very optimistic about your own life expectancy. Surely the villagers also told you that tonight is my feeding night?"

"No, they didn't," Anna said resolutely. "I figured it out for myself, though. So I came prepared."

She unclipped a waterskin from her belt and handed it to Elsa. Elsa grabbed it, unsealed it, and took a sniff. "Now how did you come by this?" she asked, surprised.

"I stopped by the village surgeon on my way out of town. He had blood to spare." She gestured at her rucksack. "Luckily, your doorman didn't break any of them."

Elsa took a sip from the skin, them turned her head and spat it out. "Cold!" she hissed distastefully. "But that can be remedied, at least." She turned away and strode towards a door, presumably to the kitchen. "Wait here," she said.

Anna frowned. "Now wait just a minute!" she said indignantly. Elsa turned back to look at her. "I have just offered you a drink. Custom dictates that you should now offer me one on return."

She didn't even see Elsa move, but in an instant, Elsa was back in front of her, even closer than before. "Oh, you are bold indeed, miss Stoker," Elsa hissed angrily. "Need I remind you that you are trespassing, uninvited, in my house. If we were to operate on custom, it would be your skin, and not this leather one, that I would be draining. And there would be no need to heat it over a fire, although for you I might do it anyway!"

Anna leaned away and trembled, but she didn't take a step back. With a deep breath, she steadied herself and stared back against Elsa's glower.

"Maybe," she said. "But I don't think so."

Elsa's glare softened, first into a look of confusion, then one of mirth.

"Ha!" she said. "For someone who isn't trying to kill me, you have the confidence of those who do! Why, pray tell, do you think I won't kill you?"

"I'm sure you might," Anna said. "That's a risk I had to accept the moment I set foot on your castle grounds. But you're no savage beast - you're quite honorable, in fact."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You noticed my wound, and smelled the blood coming from it, yet it hasn't sent you into a frenzy. When you spat that blood out, you turned and spat it on the floor, rather than in my face. And the villagers say you only feed once a week, when you need to. I've heard of vampires that go on raids every night, just for the sport of it." Anna folded her arms again. "So you must be a civilized vampire, one of propriety. That's why I have sought you out."

Elsa laughed, a deep booming sound that echoed off the walls of the chamber. The express made it sound as if a dozen vampires were all laughing at once, unable to believe the woman standing before them.

"Well, I suppose I can't very well kill you then, can I?" she said. "I wouldn't want to act uncivilized."

She walked towards the kitchen again, this time beckoning Anna to follow. "Come. I'll get you your drink, and maybe you can give me a reason to maintain my…propriety, you called it?" She laughed again, disappearing through the doorway.

Anna took a deep, shuddering breath. Her hands finally stopped shaking, and she followed Elsa.

_Okay, step one complete. Not dead yet._

xxxxxxx

A shambling, decrepit body emerged from a side door. What had once been a young woman now approached them, a vacant look in its closed eyes and its clothes in tatters. It outstretched its arm.

"You're getting slow, Jessie," Elsa said, taking the unlabeled bottle from its hands. "You've kept our guest waiting, for shame."

The thrall showed no sign of reaction to the admonition.

"Return to your chambers," she said with a dismissive wave. The thrall ambled away, a guttural moan of unknown meaning escaping from its mouth.

Anna watched it go, feeling a wave of pity for whoever it had once been. When she turned back, Elsa had uncorked the bottle and was pouring her a glass.

"Merlot," she said, "aged for 147 years. I picked the grapes myself." She handed her the glass.

Anna took a sip. "Very good," she said, although her attention was wandering. Elsa's kitchen was full of strange, highly intriguing devices.

One such device was currently heating the blood she had brought. Elsa had emptied one of her skins into an oddly shaped flask, and now it was held above a sort of tube that emitted a yellow-blue flame.

"This is incredible," she said, examining the device closely. "How do you manage to produce such a consistent, unchanging flame?"

"Why, it must be black magic," Elsa said facetiously.

"And this," Anna continued, reaching for a pair of tongs next to the flame producer. "You ignited the flame using only this utensil." She clicked them together experimentally.

Elsa sighed. "I killed a flame demon and sealed it in those tongs," she said. "If you don't use them with the proper technique, they will explode and release it."

It sounded like she was being sarcastic, but Anna set down the tongs anyway.

Elsa removed the flask from the burner. "It should be warm enough now," she said, pouring it into another glass.

Anna looked at the flask more closely. The blood flowed down a spout into the wine glass, not spilling a drop. "How did you make such an elegant, complex design? Even the best glass blowers I know couldn't-"

"Do you ever shut up?" Elsa asked, irked. "I'm surprised you even made it through the front door without spending hours studying the engravings!"

"Sorry," Anna said. "It comes with my trade. I run an apothecary, you see. This equipment you have here…it's centuries ahead of anything I've ever seen."

"Then you humans have forgotten much, indeed." Elsa took a sip from her glass. She frowned at the glass thoughtfully.

"Well, how is it?" Anna asked.

"As I expected, it's grown stale already," she said. "But it's fresher than I thought it would be. No coagulation at all." She took another sip. "It's healthier than I anticipated, as well."

"It was from a young man," Anna said. "Got into a duel, lost his arm. I specifically searched for one who wasn't sick."

Elsa laughed. "You must've been searching for a long time," she said. She summoned another thrall and motioned for them to heat up the rest of the blood. "Every time I check in on you humans, you seem to have cooked up a new disease to die to." She drank from her glass again.

Anna sipped her wine. "In fact," she said cautiously, choosing her words carefully, "that is more or less why I am here."

"Oh?" Elsa said, refilling her glass. "Do I finally get the honor of learning your purpose here?"

Anna nodded. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"As I told you, I own an apothecary. My life's work is to obtain and distribute cures for diseases. At first, I worked for the church, but I left them when I realized they didn't give a damn about anyone's health, so long as they had their faith."

Elsa nodded. "An apt observation," she said.

"But before I left, I went on a mission with them, to consecrate a town that had been overrun by the dead."

Elsa gulped down the last of her drink. "Greshit, most likely," she said. "I believe that was the work of Godbrand. A sloppy fellow, that one – always leaving messes behind."

"Well, there was certainly a mess there," Anna said. "The streets ran red with blood, and there were thralls in every building. We took heavy casualties. A third of our own joined the dead by the end of that mission."

Elsa nodded, her face impassive, showing neither insult nor empathy.

"That was where my obsession with vampires began. For a healer like myself, vampirism seemed like…the ultimate disease. At least, that's what I thought at the time."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what do you think the ultimate disease is now?"

Anna looked at her. "Disease," she said. "Disease is the ultimate disease."

She expected Elsa to laugh, but she merely motioned Anna to continue.

"It's been a long time since Greshit," Anna said. "Since then, I've seen town after town suffering from cholera, malaria, scarlet fever, smallpox. Every one of them caused more death and pain than a hundred vampires could. This world is wreathed in a miasma of sickness, and a whole sea of holy water couldn't cure it."

Emotion began to creep into her voice, though Elsa didn't seem moved by it.

"Then I heard whispers, telling of secret medicines, technologies centuries ahead of mere mortals, in the hands of the secretive vampires. Technologies decried as witchcraft by the church and burned as soon as acquired. What a waste, I thought. So I realized that the one thing I had been taught to hate the most might be the best hope for this world."

Elsa drummed her fingers on her empty glass. "So," she said, glancing at the flask heating on the burner, "you'd like me to share my technologies with the world of man, out of the goodness of my heart."

"Certainly not," Anna said. "Sharing your medicines would be beneficial to both vampires and humans. Surely you can see the advantage of having healthy humans to feed on. Unspoiled crops, so to speak. You wouldn't have to worry about-"

"Have you ever tasted cow's blood?" Elsa interrupted.

"What?"

"The blood of a cow," Elsa repeated, running a finger along the rim of her empty glass. "Raw, uncooked, straight from its neck."

"Of course I haven't," Anna said, noticing that Elsa's voice had gotten sharper.

"It's disgusting," Elsa said. "It has a bitter, almost unpalatable aftertaste, as if you're drinking the grass it grazes on. It makes me gag. Sheep is even worse, and pig's blood – well, the less said about it, the better. But they do sustain me."

Elsa was now staring impatiently at the still-heating beaker of blood. Anna felt uneasy.

"When I first came to this land, I tried to subsist on animals alone," Elsa said. "Surely, losing one cow a week would be preferable to losing a person just as frequently, I thought. I wished to avoid human contact whenever possible, and I was willing to debase myself in such a manner to make it happen."

She wheeled around and looked at Anna, eyes now red. "And do you know what they did?" she thundered.

Anna nodded, but said nothing.

"They rejected my compromise. The farmers fed their cattle garlic, and had priests consecrate the pigs' water troughs, so that I would vomit up their blood. And when even that failed to stop me, they organized a mob and assaulted my castle." She began to pace back and forth. "Well, I met their mob…and, for the first time in months, I ate well."

She glared at Anna again. "So, you see, miss Stoker, I am not interested in your proposal. You presume that I would be interested in taking an action that would benefit both myself and humans. But I have no desire to help humanity, even if I stand to gain from it! I would rather drain a thousand diseased humans than ease the pain of even one of them!"

Finally running out of patience, she snatched the lukewarm beaker and drained its contents, pouring the blood directly into her mouth. When it was empty, she slammed it down so hard Anna thought it would break. "Even this, stale and cold as it is, is preferable to their animals. But you have not brought nearly enough, miss Stoker!"

Anna gripped the counter behind her, trembling. Elsa seemed to have grown three feet taller. But she hadn't taken a step forward. Anna drew some strength from this knowledge. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her hunting knife.

"Ha!" Elsa said in a mirthless laugh. "You see? You're just the same as the rest of them! Now that you see me as a threat-"

Anna ran the blade across her wrist.

Elsa faltered. "What?"

Anna raised her wrist high, then held it over a bowl. The blood began to drip off of her arm into the bowl. "I brought plenty," she said confidently.

"You're mad, girl!" Elsa said, conflicting emotions battling within her. "You'll bleed yourself to death!"

"I know how much blood a human can lose and still live, miss Tepes," Anna said. "I know because I've seen it. I've also seen the look of fear from a man that knows he's about to die." She continued on, now finding it much easier to keep her voice steady. "I've seen children, not yet realizing their wounds are fatal, trying to comfort their grieving mothers. I've seen doctors sink to their knees in despair, because they know they won't be to save their patient."

Elsa reached out towards her, then pulled herself back.

"I know how foolish it is to come to a vampire and ask for medicinal help," Anna continued. "I know that you kicking me out with nothing to show for my efforts would be one of the best-case scenarios. But I'm desperate. Humanity is desperate. People die every day from wounds that could easily be healed with proper treatment. The church does nothing but offer prayers while their congregation suffers and dies."

She was getting dizzy now. She grabbed the table with her other hand.

"You can't live without humans, miss Tepes," Anna said.

The bowl was overflowing.

"So you might as well…learn to live…with them…"

Her grip slipped.

"Anna!"

xxxxxxx

This was not her bed.

That was the first thing she realized when she came back into consciousness. It was too soft, for one thing, and the sheets were too plush, too luxurious.

She opened her eyes and saw red – red wallpaper, red sheets, red and black décor. She was in a gigantic bed, cradled in several layers of sheets and blankets. She still felt a little dizzy, but the room gradually came into focus.

"Eat."

Anna jumped. She hadn't even noticed Elsa, as her cloak blended in perfectly with the drapes. She was staring out the window, looking at seemingly nothing in particular.

"Elsa-"

"I said eat," she repeated, her tone more scolding than angry.

Anna looked to her right. On the end table, there was a large platter of food, ranging from fruits to meats and cheeses. She selected a pear and bit into it, finding it sweeter and juicier than any she had had before.

"Thank you-" she began.

"Idiot," Elsa interrupted.

"Sorry?"

"You're an idiot," Elsa said. "You break into my house, whet my appetite, bleed yourself dry, and then pass out. I'm surprised you didn't jump directly into my mouth."

"Oh," Anna said. She examined her arm and discovered that it had been neatly and expertly bandaged. The wound in her shoulder had been rebandaged, with just as much dexterity.

The fact that she could see the bandage clearly tipped her off to the fact that she had been stripped down to her underclothes.

Fighting off a wave of embarrassment that she knew full well was nonsensical, Anna shifted her mind back to the conversation. "I hadn't planned on that last part," she admitted.

"I would be even more concerned if you had," Elsa said, a hint of a wry smile forming at the corner of her mouth.

"I didn't want to leave you angry and hungry," Anna explained. "If you left for the village with barely any blood and a renewed anger at them…well, I'd be to blame for whatever happened next."

Elsa turned to look at her. "So you risked your own life and blood for strangers you had only just met?"

Anna looked her in the eyes. "That is the entire reason I came here," she said.

Elsa considered this. "I suppose you are correct," she said after a time. "It was not _more_ foolish than what you had already done." She sounded more cheerful now than in their entire conversation beforehand.

She raised her arm to reply, but that action alone felt physically demanding. She instead opted to return to the platter. She briefly tried to cover herself with the sheets, but eventually abandoned her modesty – who did she think had undressed her to begin with?

Elsa watched her devour the food. "Yes, eat," she said. "Regain your strength. Your lessons start tomorrow, and I won't have you blacking out while I'm teaching you."

Anna wheeled around to look at Elsa again. "Teaching?" she said, spraying crumbs all over the bed. She swallowed her mouthful of food and started again. "You mean…"

"It would be entirely counterproductive to kill the one human with no desire to kill me," Elsa rationalized. "And if I send you away without teaching you anything, you'll just go knocking on some other vampire's door and die there. So it's really the only option I have."

Anna leaned forward as best she could. "Thank you so much, Elsa," she said. "You won't regret this."

Elsa turned away, but not before Anna saw the smile on her face. "The sun will be rising soon," she said, walking toward the door. "I'll expect you in the kitchen come sunset."

"I'm looking forward to it!" Anna said enthusiastically.

Elsa paused as she exited the room. She smiled enigmatically.

"The strangest thing is, so am I."


	2. Chapter 2: New rules

**Chapter two**

**New rules**

Elsa's castle was gargantuan. From outside, it looked large enough, its spires jutting into the heavens as if to get a better look at God himself, but the traditional-looking exterior concealed a massive knot of twisting corridors, rooms, and hallways. The architecture strained Anna's mind just to think about, as she passed through structures that, while mimicking traditional buildings, would be impossible for mortal masons to construct. Even if Anna had any inclination to leave, she doubted she could find the exit.

Anna wandered through the castle now, taking careful note of each turn and fork as she did. Elsa had given her clear directions to the kitchen, but with several hours to go before sundown, she had elected to explore the building that, it seemed, would be her home for the foreseeable future. She touched one of the metal columns along the wall. "Is this iron?" she wondered aloud.

"Steel, in fact."

Anna jumped. She spun around, looking for Elsa, but the corridor behind her seemed deserted. She had been glancing behind her shoulder regularly, but never had she seen even a hint of movement.

"Up here."

She gazed upwards. Elsa hung from the ceiling, arms folded and legs sticking up into the dark rafters above. While it was difficult to discern her upside-down facial expression, she appeared to be grinning.

"How long have you been following me?" Anna demanded.

Elsa hopped down, silently landing on the floor as her cape billowed. "Ever since you deviated from the path I directed you towards. One thing you will have to accept, miss Stoker, is that I will know your exact location within the castle, for as long as you reside within it. You would be in much greater danger if I did not."

"Okay," Anna said uncertainly. "But how can you-"

"And another thing," Elsa said, striding back the way they came. "I am limiting your queries of how things work to one per day. If you ask about more, I simply will not answer."

"Just one a day?" Anna repeated, following her.

"I promised to teach you, and I will, but not to answer every single question that pops into your head," Elsa said, not looking back. "If you never asked a single question, my lessons would eventually cover everything in this entire castle, but you seem incapable of shutting your mouth. This is my compromise."

She rounded a corner and entered a new hallway, this one unlike any Anna had ever seen. It was a long cylinder, about twenty feet in diameter, and it slowly spun, turning silently through some unseen mechanism. Anna had no choice but to follow.

"This castle is the most technologically advanced structure you will ever see in your short lifetime," she said. "Its halls and rooms are designed to envelop, confound, and kill any intruder long before they ever catch sight of me. In time, I will teach you every nuance it holds."

She stepped surefootedly, never slipping even as the surface she walked on turned upwards. Thus, her path took her in a corkscrew, moving up the "wall" towards the "ceiling". Anna, meanwhile, stepped diagonally, trying to stay at the bottom of the cylinder and stumbling frequently. Elsa continued to speak, undaunted.

"You will likely be most interested to learn of chemistry, but to understand everything you wish to know, you will need a baseline of knowledge in all disciplines. Mathematics, science, history – real history, not the lies the church taught you – even schools of thought you humans don't yet have names for. My magic you shall never understand, but when I'm done with you, at least you'll know the difference between it and science."

"Hang on," Anna said. Elsa glanced at her from above. "I'm eager to learn about all you have to teach me, of course, but…I already know math. Not everything, I'm sure, but enough to form a baseline. Two and two is four, whether you're a human or vampire."

She made it to the end of the hall, staggering out and swaying as she readjusted to the steady ground. Elsa stepped out as well, her pace perfectly set so that she exited the hall at the very base of the cylinder.

"Really?" Elsa asked, amused by her confidence. "Well, if you're so knowledgeable of mathematics, why don't you tell me this: Which of us just walked in a straight line?"

Anna looked back at the spinning hallway. "Oh, that's…um…uh…" She racked her brain, trying to think of the answer.

Elsa chuckled. "Oh, you humans," she said, resuming her walk. "You don't even know how much you don't know."

She turned right and continued to walk, now going down a hallway with many branching paths. As she walked by one particularly foreboding one, she gestured to Anna to look into it. Anna peered down the hall, and nearly had a heart attack when she saw a giant wolf bounding towards her! She reached for her dagger, but the wolf stopped at the doorway, stared at her for a few seconds, then turned around and walked away.

"They're very well trained," Elsa said. "They will never leave the room they've been assigned to, for any reason. That goes for most beasts you'll find in this castle. You were extremely fortunate that you didn't stumble into one such room. If you ever do, I suggest you turn tail and flee as fast as you can. I would tell you to not explore at all, but I suspect I'd need to chain you to the wall to make that happen."

Anna, still shaken from the wolf, said nothing.

They passed by a gigantic door with an ornate lock set into it. "Additionally," Elsa said, "there are rooms that you are not, under any circumstances, allowed to enter at any time. Disobey this rule, and you will likely be killed, possibly by me. Is that understood?"

Anna nodded. "Absolutely."

Elsa looked at her, surprised. "Really? I felt sure you'd make that one a sticking point."

Anna gestured back at the wolf room. "If that _wasn't_ one of the off-limits rooms, I can't imagine what sort of monsters you might have in that one. Besides, the church also had a lot of rooms that were totally off-limits, like the relic rooms."

"Relics?" Elsa asked, her curiosity piqued. "Magical artifacts? I didn't think the church trafficked in such things."

"No, holy relics," Anna clarified. "Fragments of saints' remains. The jawbone of St. Peter, Mary Magdalene's femur, a rag soaked with blood from Christ's stigmata, that sort of thing."

Elsa made a face. "And they call me barbaric," she said, walking away in distaste.

Elsa clammed up afterwards, and Anna opted not to press her any further. They continued to walk through the castle, and Anna marveled at the architecture once again.

A pair of thralls shuffled past them, carrying a bookshelf. One of them was an elderly man, but he seemed just as strong as the younger man on the other side of it.

"Ah, yes, the thralls," Elsa said. "You seemed rather put off when you first saw one, but you'll become accustomed to their presence. I have a large number of them assisting me with all the tasks necessary to keep a mechanism of this castle's complexity up and running. They are whole in body, but completely empty of soul and mind. Merely puppets, you might say."

"And I suppose they lived in that village nearby before you took them," Anna said, distaste now present in her own voice. "Brainwashed them, enslaved them."

"If I called them 'acolytes', would that soothe your conscience?" Elsa asked in a falsely innocent voice.

Anna didn't have a reply, so she shifted her angle. "You have access to the legions of the damned. Surely you could use them instead."

Elsa arched an eyebrow. "Would that be more ethical to you? Would you sleep better at night, knowing that a legion of Pazuzu had been wrenched from its eternal torment to wash your linens?"

"I…suppose not," Anna conceded.

"The simple fact of the matter, miss Stoker, is that demons and hellbeasts, while superb fighters, are not good at a number of things that humans are. There are no gentle touches in hell."

A shapely young thrall crossed their paths next, holding a washcloth in her hand.

"I have commanded all of my thralls to offer their services to you as if you were me – unless you and I differ in our commands, of course," said Elsa. "There is no command they will not obey." She stared at the backside of the retreating thrall. "And no request they will not grant."

Anna recoiled in disgust. "Ugh, no!" she said, revolted.

Elsa put a hand to her head. "Of course, how could I be so foolish. A woman of the faith such as yourself would surely prefer a male specimen."

"No, that's not it at all!" Anna said. "They're…corpses! Why would I ever want that?"

Her disgust seemed to amuse Elsa. "I assure you, miss Stoker, you will find their bodies just as warm and soft as any among the ranks of the living."

"But they aren't living," Anna said. "They're mindless, soulless."

Elsa shrugged. "No worse than using a tool for such a job," she said. "Or your own hand."

Anna had no more words of protest, simply agog at Elsa's complete lack of shame or modesty of any kind.

"If it makes it any better," Elsa said, "I suspect most of them, if they still lived, would be happy to grant any such request you made."

This remark was so alien in nature that Anna once again had no response, devoting all of her mental capacity just to parse it. It was only a few corridors later that an explanation struck her.

_Was that her idea of a compliment?_

xxxxxxx

A thousand twisting corridors later, they arrived in the kitchen once again. It was much unchanged from the previous night, with Anna's waterskins arrayed nearly on a counter. On another counter, several piles of seemingly miscellaneous items had been arranged. Maps, textbooks, what appeared to be medical equipment, and some odd devices in geometric shapes made up just a few of these piles.

On that counter alone, Anna knew there were enough technological advancements to move humanity forward by decades. She might be the first human to ever see these things. She had gained, if not the trust, at least the attention of a vampire. Already, she'd exceeded what the church had told her was even possible. And yet, she had much further to go.

"You recognize this room, of course," Elsa said. Anna nodded. "You also know the path from this room to the front door. So if you feel the urge to run from my castle, screaming in terror, now would be the time."

Anna folded her arms. "Not at the moment, no."

Elsa chuckled. "Well, we have a long few years ahead of us. We shall see."

She gestured to the items on the counter. "I have mentioned a few of the subjects that I will be teaching you. Before we choose where to start, I thought a visual representation might help you decide." She pointed at the maps first. "You humans are terrible at many things, but map-making is one subject where you don't even seem to know how terrible you truly are. I have seen twenty maps of this continent drawn by humans, and none even come close to the truth. I can show you the true lay of the land, from a bird's-eye view, so to speak."

She pointed next at the medical supplies. "It's little surprise to me how much blood you found at the surgeon's. Letting blood seems to be your kind's answer to all problems, even though it makes most worse. Once you discover the true application of medicines and surgery, you will weep every time you see a doctor perform otherwise."

Next were the geometric shapes. "Math is much more than numbers, miss Stoker. There are variables, shapes, angles, differentials, integrals, and so much more. This castle could not be built without mathematics, nor could it perform some of its more miraculous functions. Your head will swim with this knowledge by the time I'm done with you."

The books were next. "Many of my textbooks are from the Roman Empire, which was a great store of knowledge before you humans did what you do best, and burned it to the ground. Most of these books were never translated from their original Latin, so Latin you shall learn. If you show a propensity for it, we may cover other languages, if you so desire."

She turned back to Anna. "There are a hundred other subjects you will learn, but you must start somewhere. Any of these subjects will start you on the path of understanding. I suggest you start with whichever subject most interests you, in case my mood shifts one day and I decide to throw you out. So, what will it be?"

Anna put her hand to her chin and pondered this for a second. Then, she pointed at Elsa. "You," she said. "I want to learn about you first."

Elsa's eyebrows shot up in surprise, soon lowering again to frame a wry smile. "And why wouldn't you?"


	3. Chapter 3: Fear response

**Chapter three**

**Fear response**

It was her own fault, for picking such an unexpected subject, but Anna still found some humor in the fact that they were now getting up and moving to yet another room. This time, it was a short walk down a few passageways before they arrived at their destination, a large ballroom.

"Tell me," Elsa said, walking to the center of the room. "What abilities do you believe vampires possess?"

Anna was surprised by the question. "Why does it matter what I believe?" she asked.

"All education requires a baseline," Elsa said. "I must know what information and disinformation the church has given you before I provide the entire truth."

"Okay," Anna said. She thought back to her education. "Well, there are the obvious powers, such as enhanced speed and strength, and the drawing of strength from the pa- vampiric sucking of blood. A superior intellect, also, and the ability to shapeshift into a bat, or perhaps a swarm of bats - I've heard different opinions on that. Also, some have claimed that being a vampire also permits access to dark magics. I've heard suggestions of fire, ice, lightning, and even disguising oneself as a shadow. I've never put much stock in that claim, or the ability to teleport, for that matter. Finally, I've heard that vampires possess dominion over all manner of fell creatures, such as zombies, thralls, demons, and so forth, along with limited control over regular animals."

Elsa chuckled. "I see," she said. That was all that she said.

Anna waited a few seconds. "Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" Elsa replied, a sly smile suggesting she knew exactly what.

"Aren't you going to tell me what I got wrong?" Anna asked.

Elsa chuckled. "Very well," she said. "Everything you just said was correct."

Anna blinked. "All of it?"

"Well, except for the intellect, perhaps," she amended. "I've met some true dullards."

"Even the shadow?"

"Miss Stoker, to be a vampire is to have full control over one's own body, and to have centuries to master it." She leapt eight feet into the air, flipped backwards, and landed on the fingertips of one hand. "Most humans cannot perform magic, for they lack either the physical or mental fortitude for it. We have no limits to either." Her body was engulfed in a pillar of fire, and she vanished. A second pillar of fire appeared behind Anna, and she jumped and wheeled around as Elsa emerged from it. "And humans scatter their knowledge, or burn it as heresy. We collect it, and so we may achieve things you humans believe are impossible." She spread her arms, and her body dissolved into a swarm of bats. Anna watched them fly around the room, spellbound.

_All right, miss Stoker, let's see where your limits lie._

The swarm turned abruptly and swooped directly towards Anna. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't move away – just as well, as she couldn't have in time. The swarm that was Elsa flew all around her, flying past her head, under her arms, around her legs. Anna didn't cower, or duck, or do anything to resist it, but simply stood there, even as Elsa's wings and feet brushed against her hair. In fact, she was staring at the swarm in open-mouthed wonder.

_You grow more interesting by the second, miss Stoker._

Elsa's swarm returned to the center of the room and coalesced back into humanoid form. "Incredible," Anna remarked. "So it is a swarm of bats, after all. Is it because you have to maintain the same body mass from form to form?"

Elsa scoffed. "Oh, how pedestrian your thoughts are. This is shapeshifting, true magic! Body mass is of no concern."

Anna felt foolish.

"In fact," Elsa said, "for one skilled enough, there are no limits whatsoever!"

Her body began to shift again, but this time she grew larger. Her pale skin darkened into a sickly teal, then turned scaly. Her nails grew longer and sharpened, and her hands and feet curled into claws. Her body was now covered in scales, which her robes had become part of. Her face underwent the most alarming transformation of all, twisting and elongating until it could no longer be considered human. Twisted horns sprouted from her head, and a beastlike maw now held razor sharp fangs. She was now a towering demon, twice her usual height, her red eyes staring down at the tiny human before her.

Anna stared up at her, eyes wide. Again her jaw dropped, but this time it was in abject terror. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she began to tremble, her body bending away from Elsa. It was her eyes, though, that were truly telling – the primal instinct of fear now shone from them.

_Ah, there it is. The look of fear that all humans show me eventually._

For some, her humanoid form was enough to strike fear into their hearts. Others put on a brave façade until she showed anger, then collapsed. Still others lost all nerve once they could see her fangs. Whatever their threshold was, they all eventually succumbed to fear. This one was no different, though it had lasted longer than most. She had almost found herself wishing that this wouldn't be the case, that this one human was foolish enough to not be afraid of her, despite having every reason to be. But no, things were back to normal now.

_So, human, how shall you react next? Your weapon is at your side, and the door is open behind you. So which shall it be, fight or flight?_

But Anna surprised her again. Before too long, the fear had fled from her face. She snapped her mouth shut, and her eyebrows dropped, turning her expression to that of steely resolve. Elsa's acute senses detected that she was still shaking, but she appeared to be making every effort to suppress it. She straightened her posture and stood there, resolute, staring back into Elsa's eyes.

Elsa was at a loss. No human had ever reacted in this manner before. The fear had been there, plain to see, but now it was suppressed. Anna's body language was neither confrontational nor subservient. She had not fled or reached for her weapon, but she clearly wasn't frozen with fear, either. No human – no creature of any kind, for that matter – had ever reacted to her this way before.

"You perplex me, miss Stoker," Elsa said. Her voice in this form was deep and booming, and the circular shape of the room amplified and echoed it. "First you cower in fear, then you play at stoicism. Where do you summon this bravado from?"

"I am still fearful, or at least my body is," Anna said. "Right now, there is a voice in my head telling me to run and hide, and I cannot deny that it exists. It's instinct, I can't help it. But what I can control is how I act upon it."

Elsa snorted. "So you are enlightened enough to know that I mean you no harm?"

"I can't say that definitively, yet," Anna said. "But you mean no more harm to me in this form than your last. You are still Elsa Tepes, though you no longer look it."

"And who are you, to say what Elsa Tepes truly looks like?" Elsa snarled. "Perhaps this is my true form, and the other a mere disguise."

"Perhaps," Anna replied. "But that still changes nothing. I have seen your character, and that is unchanged by what you look like."

"What is my character, then?" Elsa asked, staring at her intently.

Anna stared back, never blinking or wavering. "Not without mercy," she said. "I still don't know what you expect of me, but if you merely wanted me dead, I never would've woken up from passing out in your kitchen. You must see me as more than mere livestock, and I shall do my best to prove you right. If I insulted you by showing fear of this form, then I apologize for my impropriety. But I am more than my base instincts."

Elsa stared down at her, and Anna stared right back. Neither budged an inch. Then Elsa let out a bark of laughter.

"I see many things in you, miss Stoker," she said, slowly shrinking down as she returned to her humanoid form, "but one thing I could never call you is predictable. Your intellect I cannot judge just yet, but you at least know that bravery does not mean the absence of fear."

She had now fully returned to her humanoid form. She walked forward, moving back towards Anna, but stumbled slightly as she did so.

_Shit._

Anna rushed forward, arm outstretched and concern in her expression. "Elsa, are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Elsa held up a hand to stop her. "I'm fine," she hissed.

Anna stopped walking forward, but the concern was still plainly on her face. Elsa, wary though she was, knew in an instant that it was no ploy. As sure as the fear had been minutes before, now genuine empathy could be seen in Anna's face. Empathy, for the thing that had just been a hulking demon. Empathy, for _her_.

"I am fine," she repeated, softer. "That transformation is an intense one. I normally perform it only in life or death situations, where the adrenaline often keeps me alert. My body simply wasn't prepared for it."

_Why the hell did I just tell her that?_

"I see," Anna said. She had nothing more to say, which was good, because Elsa absolutely wanted this conversation to end.

"Right," Elsa said. "Your first lesson has concluded. You have learned more about me, and I have learned more about you. Let us return to the kitchen and choose another lesson." She began to stride towards the exit, intent on showing that her strength had fully recovered.

Anna blinked, surprised that the lesson had been so short. "But-"

"Hurry now, Anna! You wouldn't want me to leave you behind, would you?"

Anna blinked, wondering if what she'd heard was a verbal slip or an intentional change. Then she ran off, eager to follow her teacher.


	4. Chapter 4: A good day's sleep

**Chapter four**

**A good day's sleep**

Anna forced her eyes open as she pored over her textbook. The dense wording, combined with her lack of sleep, was beginning to make her reading difficult, and yet she couldn't bear to put the book down and call it a night.

She glanced over at the light streaming through the crack in her curtains, and revised her statement – call it a day, as it were. If she wanted to learn anything from Elsa, it was implicit that their sleep cycles would have to sync up. In her week of occupancy, she'd had limited success. She'd wake in the evening and fall asleep at sunrise, but her body clock was having tremendous difficulty adjusting its other cues to this schedule, such as meals. Every night slept through was a night of lessons not learned from Elsa, and thus she'd worked hard to avoid it whenever possible. But the hardest part of the adjustment was staring her right in the face.

The book itself was nondescript in appearance, a simple brown hardback cover with the words _Basic Biology_ on the front. The average observer would think it a common book, no different from any other you might find in a typical archive. But before Anna had even finished the first proper chapter, it had become abundantly clear that this book was more valuable than every other biology book or scroll she had ever read, combined. Every flower, tree, herb or bush she had ever heard of, as well as countless she hadn't, was contained within this book, with exhaustive descriptions of each and every property it possessed, be they medicinal, toxic, or anything in between. She found herself bouncing back and forth, from plants she and other healers would already use to far more effective solutions. This book alone was worth every risk she had taken to get here. And it was one of_ thousands._

When she had first stepped into Elsa's library, she was stunned. Bookcase after bookcase, stretching outward and upward as far as the eye could see. She had merely stared then. If she had known the contents of those books, she likely would've wept.

Elsa had laughed then. "All the wonders you've seen," she'd said, "and a bunch of dusty old books astonish you the most." Anna had then explained exactly why she was so awestruck, and what they represented. Elsa had laughed harder.

A thick stack of books now sat on her bedside table, each a different subject, each another voice demanding her attention. She'd be lucky to get any sleep at all. Like a hungry dog, she guzzled down as much information as she could as fast as she could, despite being promised as much as she could take. Every subject she had asked about, Elsa had obligingly fetched a book for. Except for one.

xxxxxxx

"Hmm, astronomy," Elsa said, turning the book over in her hands. Anna said nothing, but merely waited patiently for Elsa to hand it to her. "No," Elsa said, "I don't think we'll cover that one just yet." She pocketed the book.

Anna was surprised. Of all the subjects she could've been rebuked on, she hadn't expected that one. "Why not?" she asked.

"Why does it matter?" Elsa asked, tilting her head to the side in mock confusion. "I haven't heard you express any particular desire to learn astronomy, certainly not above other subjects."

"True, I haven't," Anna admitted. "I'm merely surprised." But she couldn't banish the curiosity from her face.

Elsa grinned. "Hah, human psychology is so predictable," she said. "Now that I've told you you can't have it, you instantly want it."

"You wouldn't have gone and fetched the book only to tell me I can't have it, unless there was a reason for it," Anna countered.

Elsa conceded the point. "If you must know, miss Stoker, you can't possibly hope to learn astronomy without a proper telescope."

Anna folded her arms. "Surely you have one of those," she said.

"Oh, I have many telescopes," Elsa confirmed. "In fact, I have a full observatory, filled with everything you could possibly need."

Anna simply stared at her, knowing fully well that Elsa was waiting for her to ask why she couldn't use them.

After a few seconds, Elsa explained anyway. "The problem is, my observatory is at the top of my castle. And to be quite honest, you don't have the experience required to fully traverse it."

"You can't-"

"Yes, I can say that definitively," Elsa asserted. "My doorman is one thing, but there are far greater foes within these castle walls. I've seen mightier heroes than you fall before they even made it halfway." She put enough emphasis on the word _heroes_ that it almost sounded like a slur. "That would be a particularly disappointing end to your stay in my castle."

"You could easily take me there yourself," Anna pointed out. "Or supply me with-"

"Miss Stoker, I have indulged you every step of the way," Elsa said, beginning to walk off. "Please, allow me to indulge myself."

xxxxxxx

'Please, allow me' – as if she had some choice in the matter.

Yes, so now, in addition to all her training, she was setting aside time every day to explore the castle. Not just to admire it, as she had already been doing, but also to learn it. Its traps, its creatures, its every twisted hallway – she would need to know them all if she was ever to reach the top. Already, she'd gained her first set of bruises from the process, which she hadn't even attempted to hide from Elsa.

It wasn't because she had dangled it in front of her, though that had been a part of it. Rather, it was because this was the first real thing that Elsa had asked of her. For better or worse, Anna was now humanity's emissary to Elsa, and she intended to make as good of an impression that she could. If that meant scaling the greatest, most perilous castle known to man, she would. If it meant putting her trust in a vampire, she would, as much as she could.

And what a vampire she was, truly.

Every story Anna had ever heard framed vampires as either ravenous beasts intent only on securing their next meal, or suave, conniving demons who used their intellect to disarm their victims. One tale had suggested a quiet, reserved vampire who wished only to be alone, but eventually succumbed to his bloodlust and ravaged the countryside. Another story told of a man choosing to become a vampire, murdering his brother, and then plotting to rule the world. It wasn't too hard to figure out that a lot of these stories were either fabricated or exaggerated, but still, she had never thought her face-to-face meeting with a vampire would be anything like it had been with Elsa. She was standoffish, at least at first, but not wholly so. The longer she spent with her, the more it felt like it was just a façade, a barricade built up by centuries of abuse and mistrust. And though Elsa had already put a great deal of trust in Anna, she could tell there was still layer after layer beneath what she saw, like an onion.

Back at the church, the people she'd worked for and with had also been layered, but in the worst way. As she'd peeled them back, she had discovered that people who would smile every day and preach the good book might be hiding hate and spite just beneath the surface – not all of them, but far more than she thought should be present in the church. It was too soon to say for Elsa, but perhaps the opposite could be true for her, and maybe other vampires as well. After all, all people were unique and different – surely the same was true for vampires?

There were some things that couldn't be denied, of course, and a vampire is a vampire. Just last night, Elsa had vanished from the castle for three hours, then come back more vibrant and invigorated, and it was perfectly clear why. Anna had tried to conceal her unease, but she felt sure Elsa was aware of it. It was necessary to keep her alive, but Anna couldn't help but wonder which of the townsfolk she had passed by a week ago were no longer among the living. But there was nothing to be done for it – correction, there _was_ something to be done for it, and she was doing it right now. If Elsa was ever going to see compromise with humans again, it would be because one took the time to work with her. And failing that, her mission would still end with fewer human deaths.

Anna yawned deeply. She closed up the book at last, then pulled up the covers and let her head sink onto the pillow.

_Call me ambitious, but I may be able to do this after all. Elsa is many things, but she is no monster. She can be reasoned with. She can be persuaded. She might even be…_

Sleep overtook her before she had completed her last thought. She dreamed of science, magic, and Elsa.

xxxxxxx

_My, but that Anna is a handful._

High up in her castle, behind locked doors and hordes of enemies, Elsa lay in her bedchambers. Along the walls, shelves held innumerable devices of magical and scientific nature. In the center of the room, the Carpathian Mirror lay dormant, disassembled. In one corner of her room was her bed; in another, her coffin. Today, with her strength restored to full the previous night, she had no need of the coffin's restorative properties, and so she lay in the bed. But still, she felt drained in another way.

Anna's questions were interminable. It wasn't that she didn't understand the subjects – indeed, she seemed to be intelligent enough to grasp most concepts quickly – but that she always wanted to learn more. She had found ingenious ways to circumvent the rule of one ontological question per day, and in spite of Elsa's insistence that she physically could not learn more in one day and still retain all of it, she seemed determined to try.

_Weeks ago, I lamented my boredom. Now, I lament my loss thereof._

If this was an attempt to get her to lower her guard and be vulnerable to attack, it was a long game indeed. But it still could be.

Anna had yet to reveal any ulterior motives for her actions. Even the mirror had done nothing but confirm what she had claimed. Still, it would take more than that to lower Elsa's guard. Some adventurers spent weeks roaming her castle – perhaps this one was merely talking a different approach. They had tried it before. They had tried everything before.

Yet still, there had been that look of genuine concern…

She grunted, trying to disabuse herself of her naiveté. Concern could be faked, as could curiosity and empathy. Just because she had never personally been fooled before didn't mean that it was impossible.

The fact that the girl was stunningly attractive for a human was just another factor clouding her judgment.

None of that made any difference, anyway. She had no reason to deviate from her plan.

_I will continue to play the role of gracious host, and she will continue to play the role of eager student. If such a day comes that I can definitively confirm that she isn't merely pretending, perhaps I will not have to pretend, either. And if it turns out she is…well, it will only hurt a little more than if she had never pretended at all._

_It isn't naïve to hope that she isn't trying to deceive me. Just so long as I don't let my guard down too soon._


	5. Chapter 5: Growth

**Chapter five**

**Growth**

Anna had never been to a greenhouse at night before – indeed, it seemed to violate the entire point of a greenhouse. Many plants she knew of would close up during the night, reducing their beauty and making it much harder to study them. Of course, not everyone had the luxury of choice.

Elsa's greenhouse was thickly overgrown, every last square inch of dirt occupied by some creeping tendril or hopeful offshoot. The path down the middle, however, was spotless, not a speck of dirt on any of the cobblestones. The brick walls holding in the dirt were also immaculately maintained, though several sections had clearly been broken through and repaired multiple times. Elsa strode along the stone path, at times pointing out a particular plant while taking care to step far away from the more sentient ones.

"Mandragora," she said, pointing to a series of small tufts of leaves. "I'm sure you're aware of the root and its dangers, but the leaves possess narcotic properties."

"Narcotic?" Anna repeated, looking at the plants. "I have never heard anyone mention that."

"Can you blame them for not taking the risk?" Elsa asked.

"I suppose not," Anna admitted.

They continued on through the greenhouse, illuminated by more of those strange incandescent bulbs that Elsa hadn't yet cared to explain to her. They approached a bed of particularly large plants, their closed leaves resembling giant mouths. One of them snapped at Anna as she walked past.

"Man eating plants," Elsa said, not looking at them. "Venus flytraps selectively bred and cross-pollinated to be several hundred times larger than normal. They are capable of swallowing a person whole, although they prefer to take them piece by piece." She pointed at a particularly large one. "Watch out for Charlie. His reach is further than you'd think."

Anna gave the entire bed a wide berth, but the bed on the other side contained plants that looked equally dangerous, covered in detachable spikes. She settled for following Elsa's path, step by step, and by doing so managed to get through unharmed. As she watched Elsa's footsteps, she noticed something that she had seen before, but not commented on.

"You go around barefoot?" Anna asked.

"Yes, I do, whenever possible," Elsa said. "I detest footwear of any kind."

"Even in here?" Anna said, looking around.

"My thralls keep this footpath spotless for just this reason," Elsa said. "There are no hazards in this room, or this entire castle, that do not bend to my will. Thus, I have no need for footwear."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "In that case," she said, "why not walk around naked?"

Instantly, her face turned red when she realized what she had just said. Elsa turned around, sporting an amused grin that only grew wider when she saw how embarrassed Anna had made herself. "Is that a request?" she asked wryly.

"N-no, it's not," Anna stammered. She thought of a number of different ways to explain herself, then realized the smartest thing to say would be nothing at all.

Elsa continued to grin smugly. "You really need to make use of my thralls," she said, before turning around again.

"Perhaps I should," Anna admitted quietly.

Elsa's grin only grew wider as they drew near the next plant. It appeared to be a giant rose, but as the two of them drew near, a pale figure erupted from its center. Anna's blush deepened as she recognized the figure, or at least what it appeared to be.

"Alura Une," Elsa said gesturing at the flower. "Isn't she a beauty?"

It looked, for all the world, like a flesh and blood woman, completely naked and with a full head of bright red hair. Surely, it must've been made of vines or leaves, yet it appeared absolutely human. She stood in the rose, beckoning them with a sultry look. Anna, mindful of the thorny vines all around it, stayed put.

"Perhaps this could slake some of your desires," Elsa said, "but I'd advise against it. They feed on human blood, and are more than capable of harvesting it themselves."

"Why would you ever grow something like that?" Anna asked. "How could it possibly be an efficient use of a plant's biomass?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Elsa replied. "Many carnivorous plants use the promise of sugar or nectar to lure insects to their death. When your prey is human, you need a little more than that to entice them in."

Anna had no response, still agog at the Alura Une.

"Throughout my castle, you may find several beasts that are similarly alluring," Elsa continued, "but I suggest you stick to the thralls. They were chosen and designed to attract and lower the guard of male adventurers, who had taken many lonely nights to get here. Although it seems they may still prove effective on some female adventurers, too." She punctuated the last sentence with a snicker.

Anna finally looked away from the plant, and cleared her throat. "I see," she said. She walked briskly away, hoping Elsa would drop the matter soon.

Mercifully, she did, although the smile on her face made it clear that it was still on her mind. Anna searched for a new avenue of conversation to open.

As they neared the exit of the greenhouse, she found one. She cleared her throat again. "Elsa?" she asked.

"Yes, what is it?"

And looked over the plants in front of her. "I was wondering something. The plants I've seen here are…well, nothing short of astonishing. But there is one species I haven't seen yet, one that I'd hoped desperately that I could find. It's called the Daybloom."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Daybloom? I can't say I recall ever seeing a plant by that name."

"It's a rare flower, with eight white, slender petals," Anna explained. "It shines with a pale, silvery glow, like the moon itself. It gets its name from the fact that it blooms for three days only, then wilts." She smiled. "It's said to be the most beautiful flower in all of the world."

"Hm," Elsa said. "I can see why I never took the time to commit it to memory. How long does it take to bloom?"

"Months," Anna admitted. "And the conditions required for it to grow are quite strict."

"Oh, that's no issue," Elsa said. "I can emulate just about any conditions required for any flower to grow. But why would I expend so much effort for a flower that wilts in three days?"

"And how long does it have to live to hold value?" Anna asked, arms folded.

"More than three days," Elsa replied. She gestured back at the Alura. "That flower lives for months, if not years, and I should think its beauty speaks for itself."

Anna looked at her. "They say, miss Tepes, that the Daybloom's unparalleled beauty is only possible because of how short a time it has to live. In that short period, all its energy is spent as efficiently as it can be."

"That may be, miss Stoker," Elsa said with a grin, "but I don't imagine that fact is much consolation to the flower, particularly on that third day."

With that, she walked away, exiting the greenhouse. Anna, however, stood where she was, thinking about what Elsa had just said. She thought of the library, and just how many of its books she could expect to get through in a mere sixty years.

"No," she muttered. "It isn't."

xxxxxxx

A fireball whizzed by Anna's head. She dodged just in time, but she felt the heat of it on her face, and she saw a few unkempt strands of her hair get singed.

"Focus, girl!" Elsa hissed, hovering far above the fray.

Anna grabbed one of her daggers and hurled it at the demon ahead of her. It embedded in his throat, turning his snarl into a gurgle as his next fireball faded and died before it exited his mouth. "I am focusing," she replied.

As she closed the distance between her and the demon to finish it off, once of the suits of armor against the wall came to life, and it swung its halberd at her. She ducked and dove, her momentum sliding her under the horizontal swing, but it clipped her left elbow as it passed.

"That was a warning," Elsa said. "You've seen those attack you before, and still you approached it with your guard down."

Anna leapt to her feet and pulled out her whip, reaching behind her and wrapping it around the armor's helmet. "Well – thanks!" she grunted as she heaved the whip forward. She decapitated the suit, deactivating it, and flung its helmet ahead of her, until it smacked into the wounded demon, finishing it off. "But I'm doing just fine on my own." With all the enemies dead, she took this opportunity to catch her breath, retrieving the knife from the demon's neck and wiping it clean on her coat.

From above, Elsa regarded her with amusement as she bandaged her wound and tied the bandage with a one-handed knot. It couldn't be denied, she was adept. Yet it was hard to believe that the earnest, inquisitive Anna she had just been tutoring ten minutes earlier was the same one that was now furiously tearing through her castle.

_Appearances can be deceiving. That's something I'd do well to remember._

She had not protested, when Elsa had told her that they would be taking a more hazardous route to her next lesson. She had been preparing and practicing, after all. Yet unbeknownst to her, that was exactly the reason why they were taking it.

When she had first noticed Anna waking up with new cuts and bruises, she had been amused, but said nothing. It was only after taking stock of the damage she had inflicted that Elsa had been truly surprised. Ten of her legion had fallen that day. The next day, it had been twelve. Then fifteen. At that point, she knew she had to watch and see for herself. The mirror had allowed her to do that, but like a spoiled child, she had still wanted more – she wanted to watch Anna fight in person. And it was just as glorious as she had hoped – though she wouldn't be caught dead admitting it.

For now, though, she scoffed, as if every adventurer had danced through her castle with the grace that Anna now displayed. "You'll get that knife bloody again before we reach the arboretum, miss Stoker."

"It's a habit," Anna said. "Better to do it than not."

"Still, there must be a better way than staining your coat for no reason."

"Would you rather I get your tapestries dirty?" Anna asked, pointing at one of many tapestries hung along the wall.

_There it is. The childlike naivete._

Elsa hopped down from the rafters. "You're worried about that?" she asked incredulously. "Look at the mess you already create!" She gestured at the blood and guts spattered along the hallway.

Anna had the nerve to actually look guilty. "But that's unavoidable," she said. "Doesn't mean I should make a mess when I have no reason to."

Elsa groaned. "For fucks sake, Anna, you're in a life and death situation! How can you possibly worry about giving my servants one more thing to clean up?"

As if to accentuate her point, at that moment a lupine demon bounded around the corner, slobbering and frothing.

Elsa stepped back. "Make all the mess you want, miss Stoker," she concluded. "You needn't give a fuck about tapestries when your life is on the line."

Anna glanced at the tapestry, then the bounding demon. "If you say so," she said.

She unfurled her whip again, positioning it so the tip was just beneath the bottom of the tapestry. Then, as the monster drew near, she pulled the whip to the left and leapt out of the way.

The whip drew the tapestry with it, pulling it out from the wall and into the path of the monster. It leapt, into the mass of cloth, tearing it from the wall and becoming entangled in it. It fell to the floor, clawing and biting at the tangle it had snared itself in.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Resourceful," she muttered.

But Anna wasn't done yet. While the beast struggled to free itself, she lashed out with her whip again, wrapping it around a thin candelabra on the wall. She yanked, and the metal fixture broke off from the wall and landed on the fallen tapestry. The dry old fabric burst into flames instantly, and the trapped beast's snarls of anger turned to howls of pain.

Now both of Elsa's eyebrows were raised. "Very resourceful," she said, louder this time. Anna heard her, and turned to look at Elsa. "Good work," she said, feeling no qualms about praising her for such a clever move.

Anna repaid her genuine compliment with a genuine smile. "Thank you," she said, before turning again to meet any further threats.

The monster's thrashings were short-lived, as it immolated quickly, leaving only a burning pile of cloth. Following Elsa's instruction, Anna had not concerned herself with the fire, walking away and leaving Elsa to extinguish it.

Elsa took a deep breath and focused on the fire, which was just starting to spread to the carpet. She extended her hand, pointing it at the fire.

_Half a second. A short, half-second blast is all I need. I can do this._

A blast of ice shot from her fingertips – only her fingertips this time, nowhere else. The fire was put out immediately, but another two seconds passed before the icy blast stopped. Still, Anna hadn't noticed, and even if she had, she had no reason to believe anything unintentional had happened. The matter was dealt with, and she walked briskly away from the larger than intended patch of ice.

Rounding the corner, she saw Anna once again, frantically leaping back and forth. True to Elsa's prognosis, two of her daggers were embedded in a pair of winged imps, dead on the floor, while four more hovered above her. In return, she already had a new scratch on her face, from which blood had begun to trickle.

These new flying monsters were small, but they were already giving her a harder time than the last bunch. They flew just fast enough to evade her whip, and every time she swung it at one of them, another would fly down and swipe at her. Her eyes darted around, trying to keep track of all four of them at once.

She swung again with her whip, as if repeating her old flawed strategy, but Elsa recognized it as a feint. Once one of the imps dove down to capitalize on her error, she swung up with her left hand, holding her hunting knife. The imp altered its course, but still ended up with a deep gash in its face. But even then, another imp dove behind her, scoring three long scratches down her back.

Anna cried out in pain and spun around, but by the time she swung with her knife, the imp was long gone. She grunted in exasperation, then threw down her whip and crouched, entering a defensive position while holding her knife. Her breathing was labored, but steely determination was in her eyes.

"In front of you, girl!" Elsa hissed, without intending to. Anna's eyes shot downward, likely thinking she was being warned of an ambush, but she quickly saw what Elsa had pointed out.

A dead adventurer lay face down on the floor in front of them. His flesh had mostly rotted away, but his pack was still intact. It seemed to have fallen open as he fell, and a short axe was now sticking out of it.

Anna spared the weapon only a moment's glance, as the imps seized on her distraction. Two dove at her at once, claws reaching for her eyes. She ducked out of the way, then grabbed the wing of one of them as it passed. She sliced upward with her knife, cutting the wing off. The imp howled in pain, tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground, mortally wounded.

The three remaining imps looked down at her, a hint of fear now in their eyes. Anna's gaze flickered between them and the weapon maybe ten feet in front of her. They stared each other down, not moving save for the beating of the imps' wings and the dripping of blood from Anna's wounds.

Then Anna dashed forward, ducking her head down and rolling forward. The creatures each flew down at her, one by one. The previously wounded one scraped one claw across her scalp, while the second one gave her back a second set of scratches, crossing over the first. The third imp dove forward, eyes wide with bloodlust.

He was the first one to fall to the axe, as she grabbed it and swung upwards in a slice that cleaved through his chin and out his mouth. Anna pushed herself to her feet quickly, then spun around and sliced the axe through the gut of the second imp, which had come back around for another pass. The final imp hissed at her from above, but his hiss was cut short as she threw the axe at him, impacting just above his left eye. He was dead long before he hit the floor.

Anna stood, frozen, in the position she had reached when she threw the axe. She panted, loudly and heavily, blood trickling down her face and body. Gradually, her body slacked, arm falling to her side and stance relaxing. Once she had regained breath and composure, she set herself to healing, using the bandages and gauze she still had to staunch the blood flow and patch up the most severe wounds.

Elsa knew better than to speak up. To say anything now, be it compliment or commiseration, would likely stress her out. She waited diligently as the woman's adrenaline slowly faded, waiting for Anna to speak first.

Anna took her time dressing her wounds, then slowly turned to face Elsa. She still had a lot of blood on her, but she banished the pain from her face. "So," she said. "The arboretum, then."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to claim the rest of your prize first?" she asked, gesturing at the corpse at her feet.

Anna looked back at the fallen adventurer. Intact was an understatement – the pack looked pristine, new. She had already found a couple of bodies elsewhere in the castle, but generally their packs were in just as poor condition as the rest of them. She didn't say anything, but her suspicions only grew as she rifled through it.

"My," she said, pulling bandages and wrappings out of the bag. "No food or water, but he certainly had a lot of medical supplies on hand." She stared at Elsa knowingly.

Elsa's face was resolute. "An unfortunate choice for him," she said.

"As was the choice to store his only weapon in his backpack," Anna added, gesturing at his empty hands.

"Miss Stoker, if you intend to question providence when it delivers you from the jaws of death, then perhaps it will be less inclined to shine on you in the future," Elsa replied.

"Indeed," Anna said. "I offer my sincerest thanks to providence, and whatever angel has smiled down upon me."

Elsa snorted, but said nothing more as Anna dressed her remaining wounds. She then placed the remaining bandages in her own pack.

Right next to her last remaining bottle of holy water.

Once again, Elsa was grateful that Anna was looking away, as her expression soured at the thought of the cursed stuff. It had been almost eighty years since she'd felt it last, but the pain was still vivid in her mind.

Empirically speaking, it was not the worst weapon in the hunter's arsenal. One bottle alone couldn't kill her, while her silver-tipped daggers and whip each theoretically could. But those required a lot of skill, and skill countered them. A bottle of holy water required only proximity, and even her reflexes weren't good enough to guarantee she would be able to dodge a throw from three feet or less.

On Anna's first night there, as she had lain unconscious, Elsa had of course searched her pack, and found three small bottles of the stuff, buried deep within the bag. She had been tempted to throw them out right then and there, but with someone as smart as Anna, it would essentially be an admission that she feared them. If she found even one more bottle somewhere in the castle, she would possess immense leverage. Far better to leave them with her, and hope she would expend them elsewhere in her castle.

As it turned out, Anna was just as aware of their value as she was. She hoarded those flasks like a miser, expending them only when she had no other choice. When a barghest had her pinned down, its cruel maw inches from her face, she had fed it one of the bottles instead. The second she had thrown at a stone golem when it seemed nothing else could soften it up. But she still held one in reserve. One last store of holy water that kept Elsa at arm's length. Clearly, she wasn't just waiting to get near her; the first thing Elsa had done when she met her was to get directly in her face, just to see how she would react. But Anna was obviously smarter than that. She was alert as could be then – if Anna was waiting for the right moment, that wouldn't have been it.

Anna appeared to be finished, so Elsa strode past her. "Let us be off," she said, reaching for the door. "Be sure to stay on the stone path. These trees are more active than most when it comes to seeking out nutrition." Anna followed her, her defensive stance relaxing now that the fighting was over and the teaching was soon to resume.

_And I'll teach you for as long as you want me to, miss Stoker. Not out of boredom, or because I believe in your cause. Because with every lesson I teach you, I learn more about you, as well. And you fascinate me. But we're both smart enough to not fully drop our guards._

_I wish you'd come sooner. Things haven't been this interesting in years._


	6. Chapter 6: Rode hard

**Chapter six**

**Rode hard**

Anna didn't understand why Elsa needed a dining hall quite this big.

The ceiling was vaulted, fifteen or twenty feet above their heads, but that was almost commonplace in this castle. But the ornate room was also wide enough to drive two carriages through without even removing the large oak table, and about eighty feet long. The table had fifteen chairs on either side of it, with one more chair at the head and another at the foot of it. A stone fireplace roared behind one end, but the heat from it barely made it halfway across the tremendous room. All in all, it was not the sort of room you would expect a lone vampire to dine in.

Elsa was already seated at the head of the table when Anna entered the room. "There you are," she said. "Please, sit." She made a very ambiguous gesture at the vast multitude of chairs arrayed before her.

Anna had never been in this room before. Up until this point, they had both dined alone, Anna's meals brought to her chambers and, presumably, Elsa's to hers. When Elsa had invited her to dine with her, she had of course accepted, but she'd expected a smaller room. Now, she had no idea which seat she should take. Clearly, Elsa didn't expect her to sit at the far end, but how close should she sit? This had to be some kind of test, or else she would've set one seat specifically.

"Apprehensive, are we?" Elsa said, once her hesitation had stretched to ten seconds.

"Not at all," Anna said. Pressured into making a decision, she chose the spot two seats down from the seat directly to Elsa's right. The hint of an amused smirk was the only indicator Elsa gave her as to whether or not she had chosen well.

A group of thralls entered the room through the opposite door, carrying several fancy dishes. The centerpiece was a large roasted chicken, still steaming and elegantly dressed. It made Anna's mouth water just looking at it. A neatly dressed thrall carved the bird while others distributed the side dishes to the two diners' plates.

"Why have you invited me here for dinner, after all this time?" Anna asked. "Not to be rude, of course."

"This is one of your creature comforts, is it not?" Elsa responded. "It suddenly occurred to me that perhaps you would rather not dine alone every day."

It sounded fishy, but Anna didn't challenge her on it. "Well, I do appreciate it."

The thralls handed them their fully loaded plates. Anna suppressed her growling belly and ate slowly, calling on all of the lessons her mother had taught her in table manners. As she ate, she noticed that Elsa's portion was much smaller than her own – she barely had anything, and what little food she had, she ate slowly. "That's all you're eating?" she asked.

"I simply wished to taste it," Elsa answered. "I need not eat this, or anything else, but even I cannot resist Charlie's cooking every now and then."

She didn't elaborate, even though Anna desperately wanted her to. She had never heard any real consensus on what vampires ate. But she'd already used her ontological question for the day, asking about a clock that needed no winding. The unasked question hung around in her mind, nagging at her even as she tried to focus on her meal.

"Oh, just ask before you explode," Elsa said after a few moments.

"Thank you," Anna said, assembling her question carefully. "How is it that you can live without eating? How can your body survive on blood alone?"

Elsa laughed. "I can't."

"What?"

"I can't _live_ without eating, or _survive_ on blood alone." She steepled her fingers. "But I don't have to, do I?"

"Of course," Anna said, feeling foolish. "Because you're undead?"

"Correct," Elsa said. "In order for my body to remain functional, I require blood to flow through it, as do you. I would not die without it, but I could not walk around as I do now. I would need to hibernate, or regain power through other methods."

Anna nearly asked what other methods she could use, but realized it would be yet another ontological question and decided not to press her luck. In fact, this was just as well, as Elsa had no intention of telling Anna her other sources of power.

Her curiosity sated, Anna returned to her meal. But it was only a few moments before Elsa spoke up. "Since I've allowed you an extra question, I shall ask one of you."

"All right," Anna said.

"You said you run an apothecary, but before that, you worked in hospitals as a healer, treating wounded or sick people," Elsa said.

Anna nodded. "I did," she said.

Elsa gazed at her. "But why?"

Anna blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"The wounded, I can understand," Elsa continued. "It fits your personality, and there is little risk inherent in splinting a broken limb. But why elect to spend all your time around the mortally diseased and sick? Knee-deep in pestilence, you run a tremendous risk of becoming sick yourself, and you have little chance of actually saving those you treat."

Anna put down her knife and fork. "It's true," she said, "that my success rates are not as I'd wish them. Depending on the disease, I might save one in every two patients I treat, or none at all. And I have caught their illnesses once or twice, mostly when I first started and made careless mistakes. But it's worth it, for two reasons. Firstly, simply for the lives I am able to save. And secondly, for the lessons I learn and the progress I make. The more I learn, the better I shall get, the fewer people will die in the future."

Elsa chuckled. "How quaint," she said. "I have always found it amusing, the human concept of 'saving' lives. You merely prolong them for a scant few years before something else comes along and kills them."

Anna's brow darkened for a second, but she soon recovered and spoke again with a level voice. "As you have frequently pointed out, miss Tepes, we humans don't live long to begin with. Would you begrudge us the few years we can reclaim?"

"Perhaps not," Elsa conceded. "But if that is the case, what good is the progress you make in treatment? Unless you can find an apprentice, all that will vanish with your death."

"My research will live on," Anna countered. "We humans make slow progress on the scale of years, but through generations of trial and error, we slowly move forward. Eventually, we will conquer all diseases, and it will be thanks to centuries of learning passed down."

Elsa laughed again. "You humans always come up with the most contrived ways to bring meaning to such short lives."

Anna gripped the table. "That's enough, miss Tepes," she said, her voice harsh. "I am well aware of my kind's short lifespan. I know damn well that I'll probably die before accomplishing even a tenth of what I'd like to. You don't need to keep reminding me of that." She then shut her mouth and stared down at her plate.

Elsa was taken aback. After nearly a month of her residence, Anna had still remained remarkably positive. She'd been frustrated at times and often confused, but this was the first time she had ever seen Anna angry. It was sure to be temporary, but the sight was still unprecedented.

Their dinner carried on, but now the atmosphere had soured somewhat. Anna kept staring at her own food, no longer glancing up at Elsa as she had been. This bothered Elsa, far more than it should. She shouldn't care at all that she'd angered a human, but Anna was no ordinary human. Angering her felt like smashing a priceless vase, or adding obscene verses to a flowery poem.

It would be ludicrous to feel guilty about what she'd said, she knew that perfectly well. She was free to speak as she pleased, and no humans could tell her otherwise. Nevertheless, she chastised herself for her lack of discretion. If she drew enjoyment from Anna's sunny disposition, ruining that could only be considered self-sabotage.

_Yes, that explains the sour feeling in the pit of my stomach._

Thusly justified, Elsa could now set her mind to correcting the problem. She cleared her throat. "Do not be so certain," she said.

And looked up at her. "Certain of what?" she asked.

"That you will not achieve what you desire," Elsa said. "Look whose company you stand in. You have proven relatively obedient, and a decent student. Perhaps some kind of reward is in order."

Anna's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"A small reward," Elsa continued. "Do not get too carried away. You say there are many things you wish to achieve. Not all of them could be as lofty as eradicating all diseases from the human world." Elsa leaned forwards. "There must be some pedestrian goal of yours you have yet to achieve. Say it to me, and perhaps I shall aid you in completing it."

It was a vague question, deliberately so. Anna thought on it for quite some time. Elsa attempted to pretend to be uninterested in her response, but she found herself quite intrigued. What would she deem simple, yet worth pursuing?

Finally, Anna raised her head. "Horseback riding," she said. "I've never truly learned how to ride a horse, since I could never afford one. It's something I'd quite like to know."

Elsa rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then nodded. "Very well," she said, standing up. "Then let us be off."

"Right now?" Anna asked, looking at her half-eaten meal.

"Yes, right now," Elsa said, striding to the door. "Time is so precious for those such as yourself, after all."

Anna spared another glance for the mostly unbeaten bird. Then she ripped off both of its legs, taking one on each hand. "Okay," she said, following after Elsa.

Elsa smiled. _As if I even could keep her down for long._

xxxxxxx

_Thud_

Anna yelped, pitching off the horse and hitting the ground yet again. Elsa stood over her, arms crossed and smirking. "I did better that time," Anna said defensively.

"Incrementally, perhaps," Elsa replied.

Anna struggled to her feet again, groaning at the pain of her latest bruise. "All right, I'm ready to try again," she said. She looked out over the large, empty field Elsa had brought her to, surveying the dozens of horses grazing in the moonlight. "That dark gray one," she said, pointing.

"As you wish," Elsa said. She whistled loudly to grab the horse's attention, then gazed into its eyes. Even from such a distance, the horse's will was weak enough that it succumbed to her hypnotic gaze, and it trotted over to them.

"It still surprises me that you don't have any horses of your own," Anna said.

"Why would I have horses?" Elsa asked her. "What use could I possibly get out of them when I can run faster than them, or just fly?"

"Do you need a reason?" Anna replied. "You have all sorts of beasts in your castle. You can't have a use for every single one of them."

"Every single one of them has the same purpose," Elsa retorted. "And they serve it well, except when attempting to render it upon you."

The gray stallion walked up to them, still staring ahead placidly. Elsa gestured at it, and Anna began to mount it. She had at least gotten more proficient in getting on the beasts, even if she wasn't any less proficient in getting off of them.

"Ready?" Elsa asked, leaning against the carriage that had brought them there.

Anna got into a sitting position, then looked ahead and held on tight. "Ready," she said.

Wordlessly, Elsa severed her hypnosis. The stallion's glassy stare returned to sharp focus. Instantly, it bucked, trying to shake off the person it now found on its back.

"Whoa!" Anna said, trying to calm it down. "Easy, buddy. Easy, easy…" The stallion didn't listen. It neighed in protest and continued to shake its body. Anna, having learned from the other horses, shifted her body weight left and right to stay on, but the horse figured out her strategy, and bucked in the same direction twice. Anna was unprepared, and she once again sailed through the air and came down hard on the ground, as the horse galloped away. The demon at the helm of their carriage snickered, as did the indescribable creatures who pulled it.

"Perhaps I should have some of these in my castle, after all," mused Elsa. "They seem more capable of injuring you than most of my beasts."

Once more, Anna picked herself off the ground. "Not done yet," she insisted through teeth gritted with pain. "Not done yet!"

Elsa sighed. "Not finished, but no closer to your goal. Would you care for a bit of advice?" she asked.

"Sure, let's hear it," Anna said.

"If you are searching for the one horse that will not buck you off, you will search forever. These are not trained horses, nor are they broken. They are wild, untamed creatures, not unlike yourself. If you wish to ride one, it will take more than just refusing to be thrown off. You must convince the beast that it need not throw you off, that you mean it no harm. If the horse sees you as an enemy, even if it takes an hour for it to throw you off, you will never truly ride it."

Anna scratched her chin. "All right," she said. She looked out across the field again, this time at the horses she had already tried to ride. "Let's try that mare again, the brown one with white spots."

"As you wish," Elsa said, summoning it again. "Though, from where I stood, she seemed to throw you off just as quickly as all the others."

"It felt a little different, looking back," Anna said. "I think she's my best shot."

"In that case, fire away," Elsa said. The young horse approached, and Anna clambered onto its back. Her bruises were really starting to slow her down, but she gritted her teeth and mounted the thing. "Ready," she said.

Elsa severed her grasp again, and the horse once again neighed in protest and leapt up and down. This time, however, Anna bent down until her head was next to the mare's, then began to whisper in her ear.

"Easy, girl, easy," she whispered, stroking her mane. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise." Gradually, the horse's leaps and jumps began to slow, as Anna's soothing voice calmed her. "Good girl," she said. "Good girl."

Elsa watched, surprised, as the horse's thrashing and braying slowed, then stopped altogether. Once it had, Anna finally relaxed, slumping on the horse and panting heavily. "Good…girl," she repeated, continuing to stroke its head.

Elsa applauded quietly. "Well done, girl," she said. "Now, you may begin to ride it."

Anna raised her head. "Begin?" she said. Then she looked ahead of her, at the vast empty plain. "Oh yeah," she said. She gulped down some air. "Okay, girl, want to go for a run?" She tapped her heels against the horse's sides. "Giddy-up!"

The horse started to walk. Anna chuckled, surprised that it grasped her intent so quickly. Then she tapped again, slightly harder this time. The mare's walk became a trot, them a canter. After adjusting her position slightly, she tapped again. "Hyah!" she shouted.

The mare broke into a full gallop, and Anna had to grab onto its head quickly to avoid falling off. Once she was secure, she held on tight to the horse, keeping her head down. But as the horse settled into a rhythm, she gradually began to lift her head up. She looked at the terrain passing rapidly by her, and felt the wind whipping through her hair. She was still afraid of falling off, but that fear was just intense enough to keep her adrenaline flowing.

She began to smile. Then she began to laugh.

Elsa heard her laugh even standing where they had started from. And when she did, she had to smile. It was such a carefree, melodious sound, the laugh of one without a care in the world. As she slowly turned the horse around and began to head back to where she'd started, Elsa saw her face as well. Her smile was bright and broad, positively radiant. It looked perfectly at home on her face, as well, as if her features were made for no purpose other than to smile. It felt comforting just to look at her like this, her smile being the kind to beget other smiles from everyone around her.

She couldn't explain why hearing and seeing Anna laugh seemed to make her so happy. But it was undeniable that it did, just like she couldn't deny that seeing Anna angry had lowered her spirits before. It could simply be that the moods of others affected her more strongly due to her lengthy isolation. Whatever the reason, the result was irrefutable.

_I must find more opportunities to elicit this feeling from her. Sparsely, of course – she still has unknown intentions, don't bury the lede on this one._

Anna slowed her horse to a walk, then stopped it in front of Elsa. She dismounted rather inelegantly, but far less so than her previous dismounts. She patted the mare's head again. "Good girl," she purred into its ear. Her voice was soft, yet deep, its tranquility almost-

_Focus._

Elsa cleared her throat. "Are you satisfied?" she asked.

Anna turned to face her, twirling on one leg. "Absolutely!" she declared. "That felt amazing! Riding in a carriage doesn't even come close to that feeling!" She spoke breathlessly, as enthusiastic as a small child would be. "I can't thank you enough for allowing me to experience this!"

Elsa couldn't help but stare. Whatever youthful enthusiasm she had seen from Anna before – and she had seen a great deal – this surpassed it by far. She bubbled with exuberance, seemingly forgetting all about her injuries. Far from being amused by it, Elsa found it charming…alluring, even?

Presently, Anna became aware of the scene she was making. She coughed embarrassedly and quickly banished the excitement from her face and body language, to Elsa's disappointment. "…Thank you," she said demurely, face red.

Elsa smiled, in no mood to tease Anna for her outburst. "You are quite welcome," she said. "Shall we return?" She gestured at the dark carriage behind her.

Anna looked wistfully at the mare. "May I come back later?"

"Whenever you wish," Elsa said. "Just summon this carriage in the same way you saw me do so." She opened the door of said carriage now, and Anna followed.

"My, this was a productive night, wasn't it?" Elsa said, sitting in the front. Anna, climbing into the back, nodded. "To the castle, Focalor," she said to the demonic coachman, who glanced back at her. "And…have some fun with it, why don't you. This young lady seems to have acquired a taste for traveling at high speeds."

Focalor nodded with a wicked grin, cracking his whip. His steeds lurched forward.

Anna blanched. "Wait a m-ah!"


	7. Chapter 7: Leaps and bounds

**Chapter seven**

**Leaps and bounds**

She shouldn't be cheering for Anna, she knew. But she was.

Far, far below, somewhere deep within her castle, a giant bat roared. It dove, mouth wide open and claws pointing down at its foe. Anna leapt to the side, and spun around to convert the backwards momentum of her body into forward momentum of her whip. It was too fast for her to hit anywhere near its center of mass, but this time she managed to score a glancing blow on one of its wingtips. It screeched, then retreated to the ceiling.

Through the Carpathian mirror, Elsa watched intently. She'd commanded it to observe Anna's exploits, yet stay out of sight, a task it had quickly learned how to accomplish. This time, her venture had taken her through no less than sixteen different rooms, with the sixteenth being the lair of one of her elite underlings.

Now, she had every reason to pay close attention to this battle. The giant bat was one of her preferred forms to shift into – easier to manage than a swarm of small bats, and quite capable of killing on its own, or fleeing if needed. To learn how Anna dealt with such a foe could indeed be useful information. But if that was truly all there was to it, she would not be wincing every time Anna took a hit.

Not to say she was taking many. Though blood dripped down from wounds in both her arms, she was dodging nine out of ten attacks from the bat. When she did find herself in its claws or teeth, she seemed to have developed an uncanny way of ensuring the attacks landed on non-vital parts of her body. She still lost blood from each hit, but not as much as she once had.

The time she'd been here had changed her drastically. Just a month ago, she had been reasonably skilled, yet weak. While her whip was fast, she'd lacked in stamina, the exertion of battle exhausting her after just a few rooms. Most of her ventures had made incremental progress, with her turning back for the night due to blood loss and physical exhaustion. By challenging her to explore the castle and reach its peak, Elsa had at first hoped to remind her of her place in this castle, a weak explorer who would've soon perished but for the grace of her host. And that had been true – to begin with, at least.

But humans are stubborn, aren't they? Their bodies change long before their minds do. And that was exactly what had happened.

Despite her constant blood loss, Anna had gained somewhere around five pounds since she'd arrived, and not an ounce of it was fat. Her arms, once lean, were now toned, and it showed. Her whip flew faster and hit harder, and her daggers could fly across an entire room. She'd incorporated the axe into her fighting style effortlessly. While flying creatures still gave her trouble, as this one was now, it was no longer a glaring weakness of hers. If things kept up in this manner, she'd soon be rampaging through the castle with little issue or fear, an idea that should've worried Elsa. She saw this threat growing stronger and stronger before her very eyes. And yet…

The bat dove, and Elsa tensed up. Anna leapt out of the way, and Elsa relaxed. Anna threw her axe at the retreating monster, and Elsa felt disappointed when it missed. It was bad enough to have even given Anna the axe, now she was actively hoping the girl would strike true with it against a form she herself took! Again, there was no use denying she had these feelings, but admitting it didn't help answer the question: _Why?_

Yes, she was very attractive. She'd acknowledged that. But she had plenty of red-headed thralls to slake that desire. Even if she didn't, she'd like to think beauty alone wasn't enough to completely lose her senses over.

_Hmm, is it still lunacy to have these feelings if I am aware that it is lunacy?_

A screech from the mirror interrupted her thoughts. The bat had flown straight above Anna's head, then dove straight down at her. She'd jumped away, but the creature had gained so much speed from this maneuver, it angled up and flew straight into her. She raised her left arm to defend herself almost instinctually, and its long, pointed teeth embedded into it. She screamed in pain. The fidelity of the mirror was so great, Elsa could see tears forming in her eyes.

Elsa winced. Though she had relished the pained screams of other adventurers, Anna's brought her no joy. But she quashed her empathy as best she could and thought logically about the situation.

_All right, Anna, now would be an excellent time to use that last bottle of holy water. At this range, it will certainly incapacitate the beast long enough for you to finish it off._

But Anna took a different solution. Clenching her teeth and breathing shallowly, she reached to her hip and grabbed one of her daggers. The bat saw her do this and tried to grab her other arm in its talons, but she slashed at its palms until it recoiled in pain. Then, she stabbed the dagger deep into its belly. A shriek of pain made it out of the bat's mouth, but it didn't let go of her arm, instead digging its teeth deeper. She grunted, then pulled out the knife and stabbed again, then again. Beads of sweat poured down her face, but she refused to let up.

The bat finally realized this exchange favored her, and released her arm from its bite. Anna collapsed to the floor, clutching her mauled arm and sucking down air through clenched teeth. The bat flew away slowly, its wings flapping erratically. Thick drops of blood dripped from its new wounds, which sizzled from the silver of her dagger.

Anna fished a gauze pad out of her bag and pressed it on her wound. She looked herself over, then looked at the bat, sizing up its injuries. Then she grinned.

Both Elsa and the bat knew exactly why. The monster's wounds were decisive. While Anna hadn't pierced any vital organs, it was hemorrhaging blood with every beat of its wings. Anna was in more pain, but her wounds were bleeding much less. If the bat didn't land a grievous hit soon, it was finished, but its movements were already slowing, while Anna's legs had taken almost no damage. The battle was all but over.

"Flee, monster," Anna said, her tone declarative in spite of her pain. She brandished her dagger in front of her, pointing its silver tip at the bat. "Or else attack for the last time."

But Elsa's creatures never fled.

The bat roared again, this time in spiteful defiance. It folded its wings and made one more dive, bearing down on the girl with mouth wide open.

Might as well have offered up its throat on a silver platter.

Anna threw the dagger, and then it was all over. She sidestepped, if only to dodge the corpse now hurtling in her direction. If the beast hadn't died instantly from the dagger, the impact of its body hitting the floor left no doubt. The dagger was pushed deeper into its throat, its neck twisted unnaturally far, and one of its wings snapped. It was nothing more than a heap of bloody flesh now.

Anna wasted only a second before moving again. She first took the time to bandage her wound more carefully, binding the gauze in place. Then, she cautiously approached the corpse. After confirming it was truly dead, she retrieved her dagger and wiped it clean. Then, she bent down next to the beast, and surprised Elsa again.

"Well fought, beast," she murmured. "You were a skilled opponent, and a smart one as well." She rested a hand on its head. "I saw the fear in your eyes as you made your final attack. You knew it would be the end of you, and you did it anyway. Bravery is not exclusively a human trait, it seems." She closed the bat's eyes with her fingers, then remained still for a moment, breathing slowly.

Elsa was stunned. She'd heard tales of knightly chivalry, of humans treating their opponents with respect even after trying to kill each other. But never had she heard of a human respecting the monster they had just killed. Anna couldn't have known she was watching, which meant this behavior must've been genuine.

_So respectful…I never imagined any human would behave as she is now. Amazing. Truly amazing._

With the battle complete, Anna slowly walked away. The far door of the room they had fought in, which had been locked tight, now creaked open. She entered the room, and Elsa commanded the mirror to do so as well.

It was a smaller room, but still with an equally high ceiling. Its only furnishing was a stone plinth in the center, upon which sat a pair of boots. Anna cautiously approached them, wary of the potential for traps, but even Elsa was not so cruel as to set a trap here. She grabbed the boots without incident, then studied them up and down. She'd retrieved other pieces of clothing and armor from sealed chests or previous adventurers, but she could tell that these were different.

"The Gravity Boots," Elsa said in a loud and booming voice. Anna jumped, clearly not expecting this. She looked around the room for the source of the voice, but the mirror portal was concealed well enough that she didn't see it. "Capable of amplifying your jump to several magnitudes its normal height."

"Really?" Anna said, looking at them. "How do they work?"

"Crouch for one second, then jump. If performed correctly, you will soar," Elsa said. "With the great feat you have just accomplished, you've earned the right to wear them."

"Gee…thanks, Elsa!" Anna said. She removed her own boots, then began to put the new ones on. As she did so, Elsa continued to speak.

"The last person that found those boots possessed them for all of two hours. He forgot he had them on, and bashed his head in on a low ceiling. So in the interest of avoiding that, I feel I should tell you they can be switched off."

"I'll…keep that in mind," Anna said, noting the off switch on the boots.

With them on her feet and her old boots in her pack, she walked back into the previous room, where the bat's corpse was already burning to ashes. She moved to the center of the room, them bent her knees, then leapt.

"Whoa!" she gasped as she sailed into the air. The wind whipped her hair down as she flew up, then up as she came back down. She landed on her feet, then sank to one knee, breathing heavily. When she stood up again, she was laughing. She composed herself, then ducked down and jumped again. This time, she did a graceful backflip, landing with her arms spread wide.

She was free to smile now, but Elsa still had to suppress a chuckle. It was a treat to see Anna this cheerful again, as she hadn't planned upon it. Her joy seemed to bubble up through the mirror and elevate Elsa as well. She hadn't thought that something as pedestrian as finding a new piece of gear would make her so happy, especially after going through such a harrowing battle a moment before. Yet again, she'd underestimated the girl.

Anna was on the move again, but regrettably, it was back the way she'd came. Elsa recognized the telltale signs of exhaustion setting in, as the adrenaline rush of the fight and the new boots faded. She was less bloodied than usual, though she wouldn't be throwing with her left hand for at least a few nights. With nothing left to watch, Elsa decided to call it a day as well.

As she moved to her coffin, she felt her own sort of tiredness take her as well – not from lack of sleep, but lack of blood. Tomorrow was her feeding night, and thus she slept in her coffin tonight to keep her strength up for her visit to the village. She had always taken such precautions, and with her honored guest getting stronger and closer, they were more important than ever.

This strategy had served her well for years. But everything fails eventually.


	8. Chapter 8: Stained

**Chapter eight**

**Stained**

Badlands stretched out as far as the eye could see. When she had first approached the castle, the utter lack of trees or other vegetation had made it appear even taller than it was. But from her room's balcony, Anna could see just how far the lifeless plains stretched in every direction. The meadow where she had ridden the horses was miles away, past a distant forest that grew gnarled and dead as it neared the castle. It was as if the place leeched life from the earth itself.

Her night vision had improved a great deal in the time she'd been here. She found herself lighting fewer lamps and candles for all of her basic tasks, be it reading or bathing. As such, the quarter moon was more than enough light for her to see with.

The wound on her arm had scabbed over, but not fully healed yet. In spite of her eagerness to try her new boots out and see where they might take her, she decided against venturing deeper into the castle until tomorrow. She was fully capable of restraining herself when she needed to, though Elsa might think otherwise.

Elsa…

She sighed. Once again, her thoughts drifted back to Elsa. How could they not? She was the one who had opened her home to her, despite centuries of animosity to humans. The one who had shown her miraculous feats of magic and science. The one that was teaching her practices that could save thousands.

The one who, at this moment, was draining the life from someone in the nearby village.

Anna gazed forlornly out into the darkness, in the direction she knew the village was.

Against her better judgment, she had asked Elsa some questions about her feeding habits. Elsa had answered them, but the answers left her no more comfortable. She had persuaded the keeper of the town's only inn to invite her across his threshold. With this invitation, it was the inn's guests she preyed upon first and foremost. How much this weighed on that innkeeper's conscience, she couldn't imagine.

Not to say her own conscience was unburdened. Tonight marked the sixth time Elsa had gone out to feed since she'd arrived. Six times, and Anna felt no closer to convincing her of humanity's worth, much less asking her to hold her nose and drink animal blood instead. Elsa would feed regardless of whether she was there or not, but Anna still felt uneasy about living with her. She had few other options, though. Elsa still possessed the means through which she could save lives, so she couldn't just leave.

And as for her plan B…well, she'd had to abandon that almost immediately.

She hasn't been crazy about it too begin with, but before she'd arrived, she'd had to consider all of her options. And that one was now invalid in almost every way it could be. Morally speaking, it would be a complete betrayal of trust and a violation of sacred hospitality, which was the only reason she was still alive now. Practically speaking, she was still leagues weaker than Elsa, and a failed attempt would only reset Elsa's view of humanity to ground zero. Logistically speaking, even if she could do it, her learning would be stunted heavily with no teacher, and if she tried to share the castle's vast store of information with the world, the church would likely burn it. And personally speaking…

She rubbed her forehead. Personally speaking, she didn't want to kill Elsa, not even a little. She wasn't simply a serial killer, nor was she like other beasts of the night that preyed on humans. And it was more than just living in a castle and hoarding books like a dragon hoards gold. There was something more to Elsa, something just beneath the surface. Not a horrific, monstrous interior hiding under a civilized veneer, but a brusque, off-putting veneer hiding…well, she couldn't quite say yet. Forget her Latin textbooks – Elsa was the hardest thing to decipher in this castle.

Still gazing out the window, a flicker of movement caught Anna's eye. She squinted at the flying figure on the horizon. "Is that…a bird?" she muttered to herself. "No, too big."

She suddenly remembered the gift Elsa had given her last week, a strange ocular device that resembled two spyglasses tied together. She grabbed it from her drawers and used it to peer at the flying figure approaching the castle.

The first thing she noticed was its flight pattern. The creature was flapping hard, yet moving slowly. Its movements were asymmetric, as if one of its wings had been wounded, though she could see no scars through the binoculars. Its silhouette looked very familiar, and as she focused the binoculars, she confirmed her suspicion. It was a giant bat, just like the one she had recently fought. But she'd killed that one, of that she was certain, and Elsa told her there weren't any wild ones around here. Even if there had been, it wouldn't be coming from the direction of the village, but the caves in the-

The village!

The realization hit her at once. "Elsa!" she gasped.

She was hurt, badly, and gasping down uneven breaths. Her flight arc was deteriorating, too, and she dropped lower and lower in the sky with each beat of her wings. It seemed she would fall just short of the castle.

Anna leapt to her feet and sprinted from the room. She ran down the hall and nearby flight of stairs, trying to think of the quickest route to the front door. On her way, she passed by a thrall moving the other way. "Get to the entryway!" she hissed. "And bring a chair!" The thrall nodded wordlessly, then raced off in another direction.

Anna sprinted through hallway after hallway, dodging or sliding under any enemies that got in her way. Her body dodged on reflex, as in her head all she could see was the image of Elsa, badly wounded, flying closer and closer, while also lower and lower to the ground…

She was just a few rooms away from the foyer when she heard the thud. It was quiet, almost inaudible over the sounds of her own rhythmic breathing, but the second she heard it, she knew. Her heart sank, and she ducked her head down and sprinted even faster. If there was a monster between her and the front door, so be it.

There wasn't, and she finally made it to the mezzanine level of the foyer. She grabbed the handrail and vaulted over it, just as Elsa had done that first night. But when she hit the floor, she tucked and rolled forward. She felt a sharp pain in her legs, but that didn't matter right now. She could still run, so she ran to the massive double doors and pushed them open. Despite their imposing appearance, they creaked open within a second.

Elsa was lying on the cold, hard ground, maybe twenty feet from the door. She had transformed back into humanoid form, likely thinking it would take the impact better. As Anna raced towards her, pulse pounding in her ears, she clapped her hand to her mouth.

The entire left side of her face was horribly burnt. Her left eyelid was mercifully shut, while her right eyelid fluttered up and down as she muttered incoherently. Her left sleeve had been torn in the crash, and through it Anna could see that her arm was burnt as well. "Holy water," she said, recognizing the telltale trickling pattern the burns took on. The only parts of her left side that seemed unburnt were her fingertips, from which jets of ice shot uncontrollably. Her right hand was also shooting ice at random intervals.

Anna knelt. "Elsa!" she shouted, trying to stir her without touching any of her burns. "Elsa, can you hear me?"

Her right eye flitted open, though her sight was unfocused. "H-hurts," she moaned through half-burned lips. "H-h-hurts…" A tear trickled out of her eye.

"What can I do to help you?" Anna asked, heart rended by her pained voice. "What do I need to do?"

"C-c-coffin," Elsa gasped. "G-get to…coffin…"

"Okay," Anna said. "I'll get you to your coffin."

She put one hand under Elsa's head and the other under her knees. The ice flowing from Elsa's hands slowed at her touch, then stopped altogether. Anna lifted, and stood with Elsa in her arms. "God," she breathed, carrying Elsa into the castle. "You're so light."

xxxxxxx

_The burning won't stop. Fuck, why won't the burning stop?_

She was in Gdansk, under a full moon. The warrior fell with her teeth in his neck, but he still managed to smash the glass bottle on the side of her head, coating her with-

_Please, someone end this pain!_

She was in Versailles, two centuries earlier. She thought she'd killed that priest, but he rose to his feet behind her back and hurled his cup of-

_Just end it already! I can't bear another second!_

She writhed in a miasma of pain. Her memories swirled around her, all as savage and biting as the pain she felt now. She couldn't tell where she was, or when. The burn of holy water was never truly forgotten. The pain was eternal.

_"Elsa."_

Elsa heard her name, uttered by someone far away. She seized on that one word, and used it as an anchor to solidify her grasp on reality.

She was in Wallachia, just minutes ago. He'd seemed like a weak man when she'd passed by his window. With his pale complexion and high cheekbones, he just exuded the aura of a weakling. So she'd entered his room, quiet as a whisper, and drawn near his bed. She reached towards him, teeth bared.

Then his eyes flew open, and he cast aside the covers. Around his neck was not just a cross, but a whole goddamned rosary! And when she'd reeled back from that, he sat bolt upright and pulled out the biggest bottle she'd ever seen. It was like a fucking pint glass, filled to the brim. And he didn't hesitate for a second to throw the thing, overhand, at her.

She'd had a fraction of a second to react, and the best she could do was to turn her head. The glass shattered against her temple, and the entire pint of holy water coated the left side of her body.

She had screeched – how could she not? – loud enough to wake the whole village. The screech might've saved her life, as she blurrily saw him clutching his ears as she stumbled backwards. But then he'd grabbed something beside his bed, something long and wooden – a crossbow!

Then her memory failed her. There was a flash of cold, and she leapt out the window, the sound of the crossbow firing right behind her. Somehow, she'd managed to transform before she hit the ground, and started flying away. As she did, she felt another wooden bolt fly past her head. He was good. If he'd been just a bit faster…

_"Elsa."_

There it was again, that voice. It called to her, sharp and clear. Suddenly, all these memories were just that. The voice was real, more real than those memories, and it called to her, pulled her.

She was sitting down.

Elsa opened her right eye – the left one just stayed closed. Her vision was still blurry, and the pain still sharp, but she recognized the place. She was in her castle. She'd made it. She was home.

"Thank god, you're awake."

Elsa snapped her head to the right. Even before she could focus, the light red hair brought clarity. It was Anna. The voice had been Anna's. Of course.

Finally, her senses returned to her somewhat. She was in her foyer, sitting in one of her ornate chairs, and Anna was likely the cause of both of these things. The girl was standing next to her right this moment, at her right side.

Elsa tensed up, and instinctively jerked her body away from the human. She hit the left arm of the chair, and it began to tilt. Anna reacted quickly, grabbing the chair before Elsa fell out of it.

_Compose yourself!_

Elsa tried to fight through the pain and regain some semblance of common sense. Anna had clearly picked her up and placed her in this chair while she was unconscious. If she had not killed her then, she surely wouldn't now.

Elsa commanded her body to relax. Though her hands gripped the seat heavily, the rest of her body relaxed. She pushed herself back in her seat, sitting up as straight as was possible in an attempt to restore some semblance of dignity. She swallowed, wincing as her saliva ran down her scared throat.

_Anna, it is good to see you. As you can see, I have run into some trouble. You have my thanks for your quick reactions._

She assembled the sentence in her head, then prepared to deliver it. She swallowed again, then opened her mouth.

"A…nna…" she croaked, then whimpered at the pain of her thrumming vocal cords.

Now the burning of embarrassment joined in to the cacophony of pain she was feeling. But Anna didn't laugh.

"Oh, Elsa," she breathed, brushing Elsa's right cheek with the back of her hand. Elsa jumped at the touch. "I wish I could heal your burns, but I can't."

Her voice was soft and matronly, with not a hint of scorn or derision. Though Elsa had never really commiserated out loud when Anna had suffered injury after injury, Anna still had empathy for her wounds. Even weakened so, Elsa could tell it was genuine. She struggled to keep her functioning eye from watering.

Anna shook herself. "But I'm glad you're awake," she said. "Now you can guide me to your coffin."

Elsa's blood ran cold.

_My coffin. She knows about my coffin._

"C-coffin?" Elsa repeated, mortified.

"I think that's what you said, anyway," Anna said. "You mentioned it when I was carrying you in, but you didn't tell me where it was."

Elsa quivered. _I told her. **I** told her._

The healing ability of a vampire's coffin was one of the vampires' most well-kept secrets. Many hunters knew they slept in coffins, but they didn't know why. It took incredible skill and craftsmanship, but if they could make it, a vampire's coffin could sustain them for centuries without feeding. If the word got out that a human had learned this secret, some vampires might even do the impossible and band together to hunt that human down. Because if that human managed to sabotage one of those coffins, one of their last lines of defense would be destroyed. With that knowledge, combined with a vampire's one other weakness, the vampire would be helpless before them. And Elsa, in a moment of weakness, had revealed this information to a seasoned monster hunter.

Anna seemed oblivious to her distress, but became confused when Elsa just sat there and said nothing. "If you tell me where it is, I can take you there," she prompted.

Elsa swiveled her head to look at her. "I…can…make it…on my own," she said, as firmly as she could.

Anna blinked. "What?" she said, very confused by her abrupt shift in tone.

Elsa gritted her teeth. "I…said…"

"I heard you," Anna said, sparing her from having to repeat herself. "But…why?"

Elsa was in a bind. There was no way in hell that she'd let any human see where her coffin was, even this one. Her dignity was in tatters, but that was no excuse to drop all of her defenses. Even after what had just happened, she couldn't bring herself to trust Anna that much.

"Thralls…will help," she said. "They know…what to do. Don't need…you."

A short blast of ice shot from her hand as she said this. Neither of them noticed.

The words came out harsher than she intended, the rasp in her throat giving them a cruel edge. She winced as she heard them pass through her lips, and her guilt deepened when she saw Anna's reaction. She was not only confused, but hurt. Elsa tried to rationalize her own actions.

_I still don't know for certain that she isn't playing me. If I was lucid enough to speak when she found me, perhaps she didn't want to risk attacking me. Or maybe she wants to manipulate me, and is slowly earning more and more leverage. It could be so._

Still, she tried to soften her previous statement. "App…reciate…your help," she said. "Leave the rest…to me…miss…Sto…ker."

_Please, Anna, just leave. Leave me to my shame._

But Anna just stood there. Her face was a maelstrom of emotions – confusion, hurt, and concern fighting for space as she struggled to comprehend what Elsa was thinking. Finally, her features resolved into a determined look.

"Okay," she said. "I'll return to my room in a moment, and leave you be. But first, I want you to tell me something."

Elsa nodded. "Ask," she said simply.

Anna extended her right arm forward, hand open and palm pointed upward. "Can you drink from me," she began, "without killing or turning me?"

Elsa's eye opened wide. "W…what…?"

"While I live in your castle, I am to follow your instructions, yes? If you tell me not to escort you, I must obey, even if I don't understand why." Her expression softened. "But I can't leave you like this. I am a healer. It is my job to heal those in need, and you are in great need. You are also my host, and I have much to repay you for. So please, tell me, can you drink of my blood without killing or turning me?"

Elsa stared at her. "Y…yes," she said.

Anna lowered her arm, until her wrist was right in front of Elsa's face. "Then do so. I will tell you when to stop."

Elsa nodded. She reached out and grabbed onto Anna's arm, then brought her head down towards her wrist.

_Okay, miss Stoker, if you intend to make a move, this is your chance._

As she lowered her head, she could no longer see Anna's movements. If she reached around the back of the chair, her left hand was free to do whatever she pleased. And she hadn't seen what weapons Anna had with her.

_If you have just one of those silver-tipped daggers, you could ram it through my throat. You could wrap your whip around the chair and choke me with it. Or maybe you'll use that last bottle of holy water to blind me fully. With the state I'm in, I don't know if I could react in time to any of those attacks. The choice is yours, miss Stoker. You will never have a better chance than right now._

But none of that came to pass. Her teeth sank into Anna's wrist. Anna winced, but other than that, she was motionless. The blood coursed into Elsa's mouth, warm and sweet. She let out a muffled moan as it poured down her throat.

This was the feeling that made this life worth living. She still felt the pain of her burns, but now, with blood once again flowing through her, she felt even more. Her senses were reignited, and she felt the texture of Anna's skin beneath her fingertips, smelled the alluring scent of her blood. And now, she was alert enough to see just what Anna was doing.

Nothing.

Even as she drank from her, Anna made no movements. Elsa couldn't see any weapons on her, nor could she smell the telltale fragrance of holy water. Even if she had, she realized that Anna's left arm was still wounded – there was no way she could make any quick movements with it. Furthermore, she was standing right in the center of Elsa's field of vision. Hell, she had chosen to stand on her right side in the first place. If she'd had any intention of attacking her, she would've stood to the left, and Elsa wouldn't have even thought of it!

Just seconds ago, she had been at Anna's mercy. But now, as her strength returned, it was clear that Anna had now put herself at _her_ mercy. She had insulted her mere seconds ago, and still, this kind, innocent woman had surrendered her blood and body to her, to do with whatever she-

"Stop."

Anna uttered the word, and Elsa let go instantly. She removed her teeth and her hands from Anna's wrist, and only then did Anna move. She stepped back, gripped her wrist tight, then shrugged off her pack. She pulled out a bandage, then inexpertly attempted to put it on one-handed.

"Allow me," Elsa said. As she did, she marveled at the strength of her own voice, which bore only a hint of rasp. Even more miraculous, she got to her feet with almost no struggle. In fact, as she took the bandage from Anna's hand and began to apply it, she realized that she was standing more steadily than Anna was.

"You are woozy," she noted with surprise as she saw Anna gently sway. "You waited for too long to tell me to stop.

"I'll live," Anna said, though her voice carried a hint of weakness. "I wanted to ease your pain."

Elsa chuckled. "No force on earth can do that," she said. "But thanks to you, it is muted. I will be quite all right."

"Good to…hear it," Anna murmured. She turned around. "I'll let you go to your coffin now." She began to take a few shaky steps back towards her room.

Elsa walked to her side. "I think not," she said. "You are in no condition to walk through my castle. Not alone, anyway."

Anna blinked. "Then you'll…send me with a thrall?"

Elsa smiled. "I think not."

She took Anna's left hand in her right, and walked, leading her from the room.

"But, your wounds…" Anna protested.

"I have survived worse than this, Anna," Elsa said. "And as you just said, you are in my house, and must follow my instructions, correct?"

"I suppose so…"

Elsa set off, allowing no further discussion. She set a brisk pace through the castle, towing Anna behind her. They walked directly towards Anna's room, through halls Anna herself surely would've avoided. Any monster that might have challenged the girl was silenced by a look from Elsa.

Elsa knew just how much blood was in her body right now, and therefore she knew how much was left in Anna's. She had more than enough to survive, and that was an empirical fact. Yet, as Anna began to lag, she started to worry. She turned around and saw that Anna was breathing heavily.

"Are you quite alright?" she asked.

"Yes," Anna said. "But…perhaps we could take a break, or…" She began to tilt to one side.

Elsa was there in an instant, not as fast as she could've been at her peak, but still quick enough to catch Anna before she tipped over. There was a flash of pain as she caught Anna's head in her burned hand, but a very manageable one. "Granted," she said, putting her other hand under the crook of Anna's knees and sweeping her off her feet.

Anna yelped with surprise, eyes opening wide, but she calmed quickly. Elsa now carried her bodily through the castle, able to strike a quicker pace without having to tow her. Perhaps it was just because of her wooziness, but she seemed more than comfortable in Elsa's arms, and even smiled. "You're strong," she mumbled.

Elsa grinned. "I am indeed. Carrying a human, any human, is almost effortless to me. And yet, I have never done it before today. Do you understand what that means?"

Anna thought hard, her underperforming brain searching for an answer.

Elsa chuckled. "Perhaps it's best if you don't," she said. "Perhaps you won't remember any of this tomorrow, and perhaps that would be for the best." She looked straight ahead, at the door to Anna's room. "But I will remember it. I will remember it well, Anna."

She swung the doors open and walked in. The binoculars she had gifted Anna were on the floor, lenses cracked. It seemed she had dropped them in her haste. Under the circumstances, Elsa was more than happy to forgive her for it.

She deposited Anna on the bed, then pulled the covers over her body. Anna's eyes, half-lidded already, began to close.

"I'm afraid I must postpone our lessons for the next few days," Elsa said. "We both have much to recover from. But when we resume…" She thought for a moment. "I don't quite know what will happen. But things will change."

She didn't know if Anna heard her last words, for she was fast asleep. But the important thing was that she had said them.

After watching her for a spell, Elsa at last forced herself to leave. As she closed the door behind her, she took one last look at the human asleep in her bed. She was smiling. Elsa was, too.


	9. Chapter 9: Equivalent exchange

**Chapter nine**

**Equivalent exchange**

Neither of them left their room for several days afterwards, which was probably for the best. Anna stayed in her bed for all of the first day, simply recuperating. Elsa's servants brought three lavish meals a day, which she eagerly consumed to help replenish her lost blood. They also brought every book she asked for, so she was hardly without purpose. She was surely busier than Elsa, who she surmised was probably sleeping in her coffin night in and night out. All she could be doing in there was thinking, no doubt about their last exchange.

Anna didn't envy her right now.

Regardless of how polite she had been at the end of that night's interaction, Elsa couldn't have been happy about how things played out. For someone as prideful as her, to have her guest see her in that state must've been practically torture. Add to that the physical pain she'd been in, and you get a horrendous cocktail of emotions which she'd had days to stew in now. At the very least, Elsa should now understand that she meant her no harm, but she was surely astonished at the lengths she was willing to go to.

And she should be, because Anna was astonished herself.

She had not planned to bleed for Elsa again that night. She was prepared to provide whatever medical aid she might need, but not to feed her. Yet, seeing her there, in pain, she'd felt there was no other choice. Even though Elsa's thralls surely could've taken her back to her coffin and let her heal that way, her overpowering urge to help had taken hold. She had bled that first night to save a stranger's life, but that night she had bled solely to comfort a vampire. What did that say about her? What did it say about Elsa?

_Knock knock_

A knock at the door drew her attention. She didn't bother changing out of her bedclothes – there was no chance Elsa herself was there. She opened the door and saw a familiar dark-haired body in front of her. "Hello, Oliver," she said.

"Mis_s_ Els_a_ reque_s_ts your presen_ce_," Oliver said. Elsa hadn't needed any of her thralls to speak until Anna arrived, so they were all inexperienced with spoken language. Oliver tended to linger on the last syllable of his words, but he was one of the most eloquent among them. "Din_i_ng room."

"All right," Anna said. "I'll be there shortly."

His job complete, Oliver departed without a word. Anna then set about getting dressed. Already, she found herself trying to predict how this dinner would go. She truly had no idea how a fully recovered Elsa would act, or where things stood between them at the moment. All she knew was that she would have to be very careful.

She chuckled. As if dining with a vampire would normally be relaxing.

xxxxxxx

A delicious smell greeted her as she pushed open the ornate double doors. Once again, the banquet hall was a contradiction, with a gigantic, well-dressed dish prepared for its meager two occupants. Elsa was once again seated at the head of the table, though this time the main course was already set out in front of them – a steaming platter of steaks. As Anna made her way to the front of the table, she saw that only one other spot was set; two seats down from Elsa, the same one she had chosen before. Surely there was a message in that.

"Welcome," Elsa said. That was it, just a single word of greeting, in a deliberately neutral tone. In fact, every aspect of her body language was schooled to be as neutral as possible. Anna couldn't say she was too surprised, and attempted to school her own face into one as unreadable as Elsa's.

This was a doomed effort, however, when she examined the platter in front of her. Every possible cut of steak was on display – T-bone, ribeye, prime rib, and many others she had never bothered to memorize the names of.

"Quite extensive, is it not?" Elsa asked, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Quite," Anna said. "How did you get such a wide selection on display?

"Simple," Elsa said. "I killed a cow and brought it here."

Anna raised her eyebrows. "That would explain it," she said. Taking a closer look at Elsa's face, she noticed that the burns had largely healed. There was still a noticeable scar on the left side of her face, but she had regained the use of her left eye and didn't appear to be in any pain whatsoever.

"If I could not obtain enjoyment from its blood," Elsa said, "I thought we might as well gain some from its flesh."

"Resourceful," Anna said, selecting a prime rib from the platter. She began to reach for her hunting knife, before noticing the steak knife to her right. She cut through the steak, the knife slicing through as if it were butter, and examined the inside of the cut.

_Bloody. Should've guessed._

She took her first bite, and her eyes widened. It was the juiciest, most tender steak she had ever tasted. It was rare, but not undercooked, and it was seasoned and salted to perfection. The food had been nothing but good since she'd arrived, but this was exceptional. The taste was so good, her table manners escaped her, and she wolfed the steak down, savoring each bite.

Elsa, now confident that Anna's eyes were not on her, allowed herself a faint smile. "Enjoying it?" she asked.

Suddenly Anna remembered herself. She raised her head from her plate, straightened her posture, and wiped the juices away from her mouth. "Yes, quite," she said, endeavoring to regain her table manners as she slowly cut her next piece. "My compliments to the chef."

Elsa chuckled. "Why, thank you," she said.

Anna's eyes widened. "You?"

Elsa nodded, now grinning pridefully. "When you live as long as I do, you learn many, many skills, or else die of boredom." She had given herself a larger portion this time, but seemed to be holding off on eating it in favor of watching Anna enjoy hers. "Please, eat," she said, noticing Anna's slowed pace. "If you're concerned about manners, I assure you that you could deliver no higher compliment to me than enjoying your meal as ostentatiously as possible."

"Thank you," Anna said. She resumed eating, not quite as loudly as before but almost as quickly.

"If you're enjoying it half as much as I-" Elsa froze up, then backpedaled. "…As I think you are, then I'm satisfied."

"Well, I am," Anna said, pretending not to notice the pause. "I can't thank you enough for doing this. I must return the favor for you some time soon."

"There is no need," Elsa said. "We are even now."

"Even?" Anna said, puzzled.

Elsa sighed. She prepared to launch into an explanation, clearly uncomfortable.

"It's not important," Anna said quickly. "If you're okay, I don't need to understand."

"No, you should," Elsa sighed. "I suppose I should've anticipated you might not follow my logic." She took a deep breath before continuing. "In light of…a recent night's events, I thought it would be fitting to perform unto you a courtesy, to balance the scales. So I offer this equivalent exchange. A meal for a meal."

Now Anna understood. This was part of some sort of strange barter, in Elsa's eyes. It was an almost childlike mentality, like one child striking another and expecting to be forgiven if they let the other child strike back. Anna, of course, had no intention of stating this out loud.

But explaining this seemed to have brought no closure to Elsa, nor comfort. She looked away now, and buried her head in her chosen steak. But not deep enough that Anna couldn't see her face. She looked embarrassed and self-conscious, as if dissatisfied with her own explanation. She also started glancing at Anna in anticipation, as if she expected her to call her out on the inequality of their exchange.

But Anna was in no mood to do so. Instead, she modestly lowered her own head. "Actually, Elsa," she said demurely, "in truth, I don't quite remember what happened on that night a few days ago."

Elsa looked at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"I recall running from my room with great urgency, but I don't remember why. I must have injured myself somehow, but most of that night is simply a blur to me," she lied. "If you say I performed some service to you, then I must have, but I couldn't say what that service was."

Whatever Elsa had been expecting her to say, this was not it. She eyed Anna suspiciously.

"In fact, I'd like to ask a favor, Elsa," Anna continued, endeavoring to sound as sincere as possible. "It is rather…embarrassing, to have forgotten that night's events. With me being who I am, to forget a full night of excitement is downright humiliating. I'm sure you know exactly what I mean. So, if you would be so kind, I would rather not speak of it again. Let us pretend it never happened at all. Is that agreeable?"

For a moment, Elsa was silent. Then her face burst into a knowing smile. "Yes, Anna, that is agreeable. Very agreeable." Her voice was laden with an element Anna had rarely heard from her: gratitude.

Anna smiled back. "Thank you, Elsa."

But Elsa wasn't done yet. "I should be thanking you, Anna," she said. "To admit your own failings in this manner…it speaks volumes about your character." Her voice dripped with double meaning.

"But I should think it wouldn't be unreasonable if I hadn't," Anna countered. "It would be quite understandable to want to avoid losing face in front of company like yours."

Elsa smiled again. "I suppose so," she replied.

_Whoosh_

Elsa looked at her. "My, you must still be somewhat out of it," she said.

Anna, who had looked all around her when she heard the strange noise, turned back to Elsa. "What?" she said.

"You've sat in the wrong place," she said, gesturing at the table.

"Huh?" Anna looked down. Somehow, in an instant, her wine glass, plate, napkin, and silverware had all vanished from in front of her and appeared two seats down, at the spot right next to Elsa.

She looked back up. Elsa was grinning again, with that oddly endearing smirk of hers.

"It…seems I have," Anna said. She stood up, walked over to the new location, and sat down. "How silly of me," she said.

"Don't worry, I won't hold it against you," Elsa said.

Anna moved to resume eating, but Elsa held up her hand.

"You say you wish to pretend it never happened," she said. "That would be nice, but I think we both know life doesn't work that way. Things can't be the way they were before – you've proven that much already. What has happened has happened, and we are both very different for it.."

Anna nodded. "But you know, Elsa," she said, "Different does not necessarily mean bad."

"Yes," Elsa agreed. "I should think you've proven that as well."

A silence followed. It was not an uncomfortable silence, but Elsa felt she should have some kind of grand statement to summarize the situation. She shouldn't have even been surprised when Anna came up with it first. She refilled her wine glass and held it aloft.

"A toast, then," Anna said. "To a new beginning, and a new day – er, night."

Elsa chuckled. She lifted her own glass. "A new night," she said. "A young night, filled with mystery."

They clinked their glasses together, making a resonant chime. It was the first time Elsa had heard that noise in decades, maybe centuries. But she already knew it wouldn't be the last.


	10. Chapter 10: Cover me

**Chapter ten**

**Cover me**

As much as she tried to focus, Anna found it incredibly hard not to enjoy herself using the gravity boots. As much as she wanted to rebuke her, Elsa found it incredibly hard not to enjoy watching her.

As Anna hurried down the corridor, a series of knights threw themselves at her, one after the other. These enemies tended to be a real menace in groups, but they couldn't group up fast enough. Two nights ago, Anna had found the weak points in their armor. Now, after some practice and failed strategies, she was tearing through them like a knife through a pillow. She'd developed the unusual tactic of throwing her dagger to weaken them, then hitting with her whip in such a way that it both killed the enemy and dislodged the dagger. With this, soon the whole room was clear.

The path forward was open, but Anna headed to a small hole in the ceiling, perhaps four feet in diameter. She had noted this hole several weeks prior, but couldn't do anything about it then. Without hesitation, she ducked down and leapt, sailing through the hole with ease. Elsa followed close behind her.

As she ascended, she saw that Anna had already set off to the west, likely because she had been traveling east on the prior floor. She spotted a grand staircase and began to climb it.

"For god's sake, girl, slow down!" Elsa called. "You've ascended to a new floor – at least get acclimated to it before you proceed!"

Anna took her advice, at least in the literal sense. She reached the midpoint of the staircase, then sat down on the landing. It seemed she hadn't realized how tired she was until she stopped moving, for she began to pant as she switched off her grav boots.

"Like I'd miss the opportunity to skip a floor," she gasped, taking a sip from her canteen. "And how can a vampire say 'for god's sake', anyway?"

"The same way you can tell someone to go fuck themselves without expecting them to actually do it," Elsa replied. "Words have no power, only the intent behind them."

She had relaxed her limit on ontological questions from once a day to, quote, 'until it irritates me'. She had been surprised at just how rarely Anna breached that threshold, though she had to admit Anna herself aided this by showing a before unseen display of restraint.

Once she'd caught her breath, Anna rose to her feet again. "What is this place?" she asked, noting the more ornate columns and rafters.

"The Rectory of the Unwanted," Elsa said.

Anna chuckled. "Such a dramatic name," she said.

"I had this portion of my castle modeled after the grand cathedrals of the Holy Roman Empire, but with my own personal twists," Elsa continued. "You'll find no rectors here, only hostile skeletons."

Reaching the top of the stairs, Anna noted another adventurer's corpse. "Like that one?" she asked.

"No, that's just a normal skeleton," Elsa said. "I forgot that was there."

Anna searched through its pack. It was practically empty, save for some rotten food – Elsa genuinely hadn't planned on Anna coming this way today, and she hadn't prepared anything for her. At least she knew it contained no holy water – she conducted that search shortly after the adventurer's death.

"Hmm, nothing," Anna muttered. "Well, almost nothing." She glanced down at the skeleton's hand. In its bony grip was a flail, battered and worn. While the ball on the end was intact, the chain was heavily rusted, and several links were broken. Nevertheless, she gently plucked the weapon out of its hand. "Apologies, brother," she said, noting the holy cross on what remained of his tattered clothes. "I'll make use of this yet. I reckon this thing has one good swing left in it." She holstered the weapon, then knelt down so that her forehead touched the skull. "Your mission, I shall not complete. But with this small remnant of you in tow, I will reach the summit."

Elsa rolled her eyes and turned away as Anna began to administer the last rites. She felt no need to dissuade Anna from her harmless gestures, but she felt no shame in not commiserating with the souls of those who came to kill her. Anna even called some of the non-Christian attackers 'brother' or 'sister', which she just found excessive. But where would humans be without their frivolous rituals?

Her business finally concluded, Anna stood again and resumed her journey. Rounding a corner, she came face to face with a trio of skeletons. The first two sported helmets and chestplates, a break in tradition from all previous skeletons she had seen, and wielded flails of their own.

"Came prepared, eh?" Anna said. "Well, so did I."

She pulled out her axe and threw it, sending it whirling through the air in a long arc. The skeletons looked up to watch it, giving just enough of a window for Anna to swing her whip. She swung to her right, the tip traveling in a wide circle before impacting with one of the skeleton's unarmored legs. To her surprise, rather than slicing right through, the whip bounced off its leg. Still, it was impact enough, and the bone snapped soon after, sending the skeleton tumbling down. When it hit the floor, it fell to pieces, now completely out of the action.

The other skeleton snapped its head back to Anna, easily sidestepping the axe as it came down. It banged its flail on its chestpiece, then swung it around in an intimidating manner. Anna, unfazed, sent her whip straight forward, snapping it into the revolving ball. The ball then flung backwards and hit its wielder in the face, which dissolved into powder. Anna grunted in satisfaction, then turned to the third skeleton in the group.

She froze.

The skeleton wielded a polearm, a long wooden handle ending in a curved blade. She stared at it for a moment, unmoving. Just as she snapped out of it, the skeleton thrust his weapon forward. Anna dodged a moment too late, and the long blade dug into her left side. She screamed in pain, then grabbed the polearm and pushed, trying to push it out the way it came in. The skeleton pushed back, and his strength outmatched Anna's, so the blade stayed firmly in her side. She lashed out with her whip, but it bounced off his armor.

Still in pain, Anna's fingers flew to her knife, but she realized a short-ranged slashing weapon wasn't what she needed right now. She instead grabbed the wooden handle at her hip, pulling out her own broken flail. She pulled her arm back, then launched it forward in the same whipping motion she was accustomed to. The chain broke, and the ball sailed ahead, smacking right into her tormentor's skull.

The skeleton made no sound, for it was already dead. The lifeless bones now clattered to the ground, and Anna finally pulled out the blade and let it fall to the floor. She clutched at her open wound with both hands.

Elsa rushed forward in concern. Anna turned to her and managed a weak smile. "One more good swing, didn't I say?" she said weakly.

"What was that?" Elsa demanded, reaching into Anna's bag and pulling out some bandages. "How did you let that happen?"

"Let my guard down, I know," Anna said, taking the supplies from Elsa's hands. "Happens every now and then." She lifted her now blood-soaked shirt and placed a compress of gauze to her wound. She attempted to wrap a bandage around her waist one-handed, then grunted in frustration. "Hold this, will you?"

"I've seen you slip up before," Elsa said, placing her hand on the compress as Anna bandaged herself. "That was a different story altogether. You froze."

"Did I?" Anna said, tying her bandage off. "Are you sure it wasn't just your adrenaline kicking in? I've had that, where it felt like time slowed to a halt." She tested out her range of motion, wincing slightly when she turned to the left.

Elsa snorted. "If my adrenaline ever kicks in when I'm around you, one of us will have already made a much bigger mistake than yours." She examined the polearm on the ground. "Was it this weapon that stunned you? Do you have some painful memory involving polearms?"

"No," Anna said. "I have no bad memories with polearms."

Elsa regarded her suspiciously. She appeared to be telling the truth, but answering the question so specifically raised a red flag. Perhaps the weapon had triggered a memory of a similar situation?

She held her silence just long enough to convey to Anna that she wasn't buying her explanation, then scoffed. "Well, you do now."

"Indeed," Anna said, happily changing the subject. "I've never seen one of your skeletons display this level of strength, or with this much armor."

"Because you've never been this deep into my castle," Elsa replied. "The higher you go, the stronger my minions become. Keeps things interesting, especially to watch."

Anna looked at the hall outstretched before her. "You mean they're just going to get worse?" Anna said.

Elsa nodded. "So I suggest you get better, at a commensurate pace. Taking fewer hits from stronger foes, as you have been, may not improve your situation. You'll have to slow down."

"Thanks for the compliment," Anna replied. "But I'd still like to make some progress for the night." She thought hard, trying to recall her mental map of the place (physically mapping it out was beyond her, or anyone's, capability). "Let's see…about five rooms west of here, I think there was a staircase blocked by a door that couldn't open. Maybe I can open it from this side." She looked at Elsa. "Is that right?"

"If your memory is correct, then yes," Elsa said unhelpfully.

"Well, thanks," Anna said sarcastically. She gazed down the dimly lit hallway, seeing shapes moving at the end of it. "Five rooms down…and just half of this room was already bad," she murmured. She twisted her waist to the left again, grunting in pain and frustration when she couldn't turn all the way. She instead turned to her right and looked at Elsa. "This is a bit of an ask, but perhaps you'd…no, no, you never would."

Elsa's brow furrowed. "What? What would I never do?"

Anna waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind," she said. "Forget I said anything."

"I don't forget easily, Anna," Elsa said, growing impatient. "Now tell me, what is it you wished to ask me?"

Anna sighed. "Fine," she said. "I was wondering if I could convince you to cover me, that's all."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Cover you? You mean defend you, the invader in my castle, against my own underlings?"

"See, I told you you'd never do it," Anna said, beginning to walk toward the end of the hall.

Elsa stepped in front of her. "Then why even ask? The whole purpose of me giving you this challenge was for you to overcome it yourself, not for me to do it for you!"

"I wouldn't be asking for you to kill everything," Anna said. "Just to react to things that I might not be able to in my condition, and cover the holes in my defenses."

"And why would I know the holes in your defenses?" Elsa countered.

Anna looked at her. "That was the reason you started watching me to begin with, was it not?"

Elsa faltered. In truth, that wasn't the _whole_ reason, but she had no intention of explaining it all. She threw her hands up in concession instead. "What benefit could I even provide?" she asked. "Your weapon is broad and sweeping. Surely I'd just get in your way."

"At first, maybe," Anna said. "Most people adapt quickly. You, I suspect, would adapt very quickly."

"Oh, so you have done this before?" Elsa asked curiously.

"A few times," Anna said. "Sometimes fighting side by side is a necessity. They often had us fight in tandem during training. They say that if you fight with someone, eventually you sync up with them, and gain a deeper understanding of them, how they think and such."

_Now she's toying with me. She knows I'm interested._

Elsa folded her arms. "Well, what's in it for me?" she asked. "Why should I help instead of just letting you turn tail and head back the way you came?"

"Oh, I don't know," Anna said, though her smile suggested otherwise. "Perhaps, if you gained a better understanding of how I think, maybe you'd figure out the story behind why I dislike polearms."

Elsa raised her eyebrows, impressed. _It happened not a moment ago, and she's already using my curiosity as leverage. She must be learning from me._

Yet it seemed she was not quite as steadfast as she wanted Elsa to think. After stating this last line with confidence, her expression saddened, and she seemed to regret saying it.

"Are you sure, Anna?" she asked, in a voice that betrayed more sympathy than she intended to. "It seems like a memory you'd rather not dig up."

"No, I've been meaning to tell you for some time now," Anna said. "I haven't worked up the nerve to. Perhaps it's best if I have an obligation to tell it."

Elsa nodded. "I see." Again, the sight of a solemn Anna brought her down, so she endeavored to lighten the mood. "Then really, I'm doing you a favor on both ends, aren't I?"

Anna smiled, her mood rising instantly. "I suppose you are. Truly, you are a gracious host." Without another word, she dashed off towards the end of the corridor, picking up the spiked ball and stowing it in her backpack.

"Wait, that doesn't mean I agreed to – ugh." Elsa sighed, then raced off to catch up with her.

_I'm not doing this because she tricked me into agreeing,_ she told herself. _This is something I'm doing of my own free will._

_What an odd thing to have to convince myself of._

Anna had launched herself at the skeletons at the end of the hall, a pair of swordsmen. They wore even more armor than the previous ones, so she swung her whip at them, probing for weak points. Her lashes at least stunned the right skeleton, their sheer force pushing it back. The left one pulled back its arm for a vertical slash. Anna pulled back her arm and turned instinctively, then hissed in pain and bent over.

The skeleton attacked. Its sword swung through the air, then stopped. All of its momentum was lost in an instant as Elsa caught the blade between two fingers. Anna was surprised, as was the skeleton, having no clue why its master was now attacking it.

"Wow," Anna said, momentarily stunned at the display of strength and dexterity.

"Well, don't just stand there," Elsa said, though her tone was playful. "This is a battle, now. Let's see some urgency."

"Y-yes, of course," Anna said. She drew a dagger and threw it underhand, to reduce the twisting of her upper body. It was still a good enough throw to dig into the skeleton's eye socket, sending it down for the count. As the other skeleton rallied, she withdrew the spiked ball from her pack. After taking a second to get a good grip on it without poking herself, she flung it at its face. The skeleton deflected it with his sword, but Elsa rushed forward, grabbed it, and smacked it into the side of his head. He fell to pieces in dramatic fashion.

With the action momentarily over, Elsa nonchalantly tossed the ball back to Anna, who panicked but managed to catch it without drawing blood. "Is that what you had in mind?" Elsa asked her.

"Yes," Anna said. "That was a hell of a move."

"Thank you," Elsa responded. In truth, she had only intended to grab the sword, but when Anna's attack failed, she'd felt compelled to act further. Somehow, despite what she'd said a moment before, her adrenaline _had_ kicked in. Perhaps this was going to be more exciting than she'd thought.

She stood still for a second, closing her eyes and concentrating. Something in her aura changed. "I have masked my presence to my underlings," she said. "Now they will attack me as they would any other intruder. Might as well make this at least somewhat interesting."

Anna nodded. "It'll be nice to have someone else draw the heat sometimes," she said, opening the door to the next room.

"Do not think this means I'll be dealing with 50 percent of the threats," Elsa said.

"Good," Anna said. "If that happened, I think I'd be just as upset as you."

Upon entering the next room, a gigantic quadrupedal skeleton lunged towards them. Anna leapt over it and threw her spiked ball down at the apex of her jump. Elsa sidestepped the colossal skeleton, then pointed two fingers at the ball. A burst of lightning shot from them and imbued the ball with electricity, and it slammed into the creature's spine. It howled in pain, not defeated but surely injured. Elsa and Anna's eyes met, and they grinned. Both had the same thought at once.

_I think I'm going to enjoy this._


	11. Chapter 11: Confused, hungry, and scared

**Chapter eleven**

**Confused, hungry, and scared**

"Ah!" Anna hissed. She tried not to flinch, but found herself unable to stop herself as the sting of Elsa's ointment hit her. Elsa was unfazed, moving her hand quickly enough to keep up with Anna's flinch.

"That should do it," Elsa said, coating the last of her wound with the antibiotic. With that done, she applied a fresh bandage. "Ideally, you should stay in bed for at least a week to give this time to heal, but knowing you, I suppose four days is the most I could ask for."

Anna nodded. "I will do my best."

"Five days, then," Elsa replied wryly.

"We'll see," Anna replied.

They both fell silent. Elsa retreated from Anna's side to her own chair, while Anna settled back into hers. They were in one of the many rooms that Anna would classify a lounge, sitting next to a roaring fireplace. One day, Anna would have to ask how she could get enough firewood to keep all these hearths fully stocked without deforesting the entire countryside, but it would be another day. Tonight, it was her turn to talk.

She took a few deep breaths, preparing herself. Not just to tell the story – she'd told it to a few others, and while it had brought her to tears before, she felt more confident that she could stay composed this time. But this time, she knew she would receive no empathy, no words of consolation. The bishops had at least acted empathic, though she later suspected they weren't. But Elsa would not be moved, nor would she have reason to pretend to be.

_If she is to be iron-willed, then I must be as well._

At last, she looked up, making eye contact with Elsa. "What do you know of scythes?" she asked.

Elsa raised her eyebrows. "Scythes?" she repeated. "Not much. I have an acquaintance who is more well-versed in them."

"Yes, I suspected as much. Of all the monsters I've seen in your castle, I've yet to see one wielding a scythe," Anna said. "And for good reason. Despite the long blade, it is a poor weapon. It's large and awkward to use in tight quarters, and the blade is angled in such a way that permits only a scant few attacking options. No thrusting attacks, only a wide sweep that would tire anyone out very fast. But there is a way to make it more deadly.

"If you detach the blade, angle it parallel to the handle, and reattach it on the end, then you have a war scythe. In essence, it's a makeshift polearm. Your offensive options are much greater, as you can now stab as well as sweep. You could even use it on horseback." Anna gestured with her arms to explain.

Elsa nodded in understanding. "It still seems a poor option," she said. "A farmer's scythe would not be made of the same durable materials a polearm would. Also, many scythes I have seen have crooked handles. That could only reduce its efficacy further."

"Correct," Anna said. "But I ask you this: if a farmer must mobilize to defend his village, or rebel against a tyrannical ruler, would he have easy access to a traditional polearm or a halberd? Surely not. A war scythe is a weapon of desperation, or scarcity."

Elsa nodded, but did not interrupt.

"My father," continued Anna, "was a farmer. He'd been a farmer his whole life. Inherited the farm from his father before him. He raised me thinking I would inherit the farm from him as well. My mother died to cholera when I was only four, so he raised me alone. He taught me a great many things, including what I just told you about scythes. But he also told me that he prayed, every single night, that he would never have to turn his own into a war scythe. He was not averse to weapons – he carried a hunting knife wherever he went, to defend himself against feral beasts and creatures of the night." Anna pulled the knife from her holster and placed it on the table. "But he saw a great difference between the two. A knife, he told me, is a defensive weapon first and foremost."

Elsa snorted.

"Yes, a man might pull a knife in a bar fight, or stab another under the cover of night," Anna said. "But this is no such knife. Big, prominent, and hefty, this knife is meant to hold off an attacking monster, be they natural or supernatural. No warrior would charge into battle brandishing a knife, or challenge another warrior to a duel of knives. And knives such as this are also tools, to cut ropes or skin animals when needed. Everyone carries a knife, for a knife is a useful thing.

"But a war scythe? That has no purpose other than offense. If a man turns his scythe into a war scythe, it can only mean one thing: he wishes to kill his fellow man. And one thing my father never wished to do, is kill another man."

Elsa nodded. "I suspected one of your parents must've been a pacifist," she said.

"Oh, he fought," Anna said. "He'd been in a fair number of tavern brawls when he was a younger man. But he always tried to resolve the situation without killing. He believed most every altercation could, if you had the strength and mercy to do so. And he told me, and just about anyone else who would listen, exactly why.

"'Little Anna,' he'd say, 'This is a cruel world. It turns men cruel just by living in it. But nobody is born cruel, or violent, or murderous. There are always circumstances that make them so. They might be confused, or hungry, or scared, and so they believe that violence is the only answer. But it never is. So many of these people turn cruel themselves, and by their cruel actions, corrupt others around them. It is an evil cycle. But there are virtuous cycles as well. If you are kind to those around you, it will turn them kinder as well, like a tree enriching the soil around it. With enough good people, even the very world could be changed in this manner.'"

Anna's hands began to shake, so she gripped the chair to hold them steady. Once she had gathered herself, she continued. "Then, when I was thirteen, he was killed by raiders."

As she suspected, Elsa showed little reaction, other than a moment of surprise. She continued on, as best she could.

"He was in his field, harvesting wheat. There had been a blight that struck down a quarter of the crops of every farmer in the village, but it didn't faze him. He said he was grateful for every last shoot that survived, and I think he meant it. He must've seen them coming from a mile away on horseback, but he surely assumed the best until he saw their weapons. I didn't see it happen, but as soon as I saw them riding by, I knew. Their war scythes were bloody."

Now her voice began to tremble. "It's r-rather…ironic, isn't it? C-cut down by scythes in the middle of a f-f-field of wheat. M-makes you think Death has a sense of h-humor-"

"Anna," Elsa said. She said it calmly and emotionlessly, but it still helped bring Anna back to reality. She shook herself, then resumed talking, voice steady once again.

"Thank you." She blinked away her nascent tears. "Anyway, they raided our grain silo and killed some of our livestock, then left. When I rode into town, I found they had done much of the same. They broke into the granaries, stole some of our harvest. Combined with the blight, our resources were close to the breaking point. Eight men were dead, including four of our farmers. By the time I got there, the mayor was already in control, starting to organize a force to resist them." She looked at Elsa. "But I wanted more than that."

Elsa nodded again. "You wanted revenge."

Anna put her hand on her knife. "Could you blame me? I must've wept for two hours when I found his body. Thoughts of revenge were the only thing that could pry me away. When they did, I took my father's hunting knife, and I swore an oath. I would find the one that did this, and I would drive that knife straight through his heart." She squeezed the knife as she said the words.

"They attacked twice after that. The second attack came in the night, two nights later. They killed two more, but the town's guard repelled them, and they left empty-handed. On their third attack, they lost five of their own and killed none. Both times, I was on the other side of town when it happened. Both times, I cursed my bad luck.

"The next week saw no new attacks, and talks began in the town of mounting a counterattack. I was not the only one who wanted vengeance. We sent out a scouting party to find where the raiders had come from. They found a nearby town, but also spotted tracks of a night creature horde in the area. When it was put to a vote, the town agreed to hold off attacking for another week. I spent every waking moment of that week training myself to fight with a knife. I imagined every mannequin that I stabbed was the man who killed my father. Our town healer urged me to calm down and take some time to mourn, but he couldn't stop me. Nobody could.

"Finally, the day came of the attack. We assembled a militia and rode at dawn, heading straight for their town. I convinced the mayor to let me ride on the same horse as him, at the front of the pack. We bore down on the place, ready for a battle."

She paused. "What do you think we found when we got there?" she asked quietly.

"I haven't a clue," Elsa responded.

Anna looked her right in the eye. "Nothing," she said.

Elsa blinked. "Nothing at all?"

"The town was deserted," Anna said. "There were a few signs of a fight, broken doors and bloody trails, but not a living soul. Every house we went to, the most we'd see were bloodstains and broken weapons. Finally, when we reached a barn on the edge of town, we found three sickly women hidden inside. They told us what happened.

"I mentioned a blight that had struck our town. Well, it seems it had struck theirs as well, only much worse. One in every four of our crops was ruined, but in their town, it was closer to three in every four. Their granaries were already empty after just a few months. Hungry and desperate, they had resorted to raiding other nearby towns for food."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Why not attempt to barter for more supplies?"

"They assumed the blight hit every town equally," Anna said. "Or at the very least, that we would have none to spare. They didn't have much to barter with, anyway. Their town was small and truly destitute."

"In that case," Elsa said, "when your town repelled them, they simply starved to death?"

"They would've," Anna said. "But they met a more violent end."

Elsa seemed to understand. "The horde," she said.

"The horde, indeed. Our scouts had spotted them, but theirs had not. It was a mere few days after their final disastrous raid that the pack of beasts fell upon them. The villagers were weak from hunger, and it seemed one of the raiders we had killed was their mayor, so they were without direction. It was an absolute slaughter. Those women in the barn were all that remained. The carrion moved in soon after. It seemed they ate well, at least."

"And the man who killed your father?" Elsa prompted.

Anna stared at her knife. "I recalled enough details of his face to describe him to the women. They knew him well. He had commanded them to shelter in the barn while he drew the horde off of them. He had had nothing to eat for the last two days, and his scythe had snapped, but he still held the blade high and hollered, drawing the rest of the horde to him as he ran off into the woods. The man who killed my father…died a hero's death."

There was absolute silence in the castle. Anna looked up at Elsa, who motioned for her to continue.

"We took the women back to our town and helped them recover. What few bodies we could find, we ensured were given a proper burial. I only ever set foot on my farm once afterwards, to show the mortician where to find my father. And I took but one thing away from it: his knife's sheath."

Again, she felt tears beginning to form, but she couldn't stop yet. She had to tell Elsa the point of all of this.

"My father was buried a few days later. My promise of vengeance was incomplete. _I _was incomplete. I needed new purpose, and I found it with our town healer. He invited me into his home, and happily trained me in the art of saving lives. And I made a new promise. A promise that I would do everything in my power to prevent what had happened from happening to anyone else. I couldn't strike violence from this earth, but I could try to make the world better, to prevent such foolish errors from happening again."

"It seems there was nothing you could do," Elsa said. "Even had you known of the other town's plight, you likely wouldn't have had enough food for the both of you to survive."

Anna looked down. In a tiny voice, she said, "We did."

"You did? How could you-"

"Because I counted!" Anna shouted. "One of the first things my father had taught me to do was take stock of our provisions, to see how long they would last and how many they could feed. After it all ended, I took stock of the remaining food we had. If we had dropped to half rations, we could've fed them as well as ourselves! It would have been tight, but very much possible! Our forces could've also helped them fend off the horde! That means the loss of their village was unnecessary! If they hadn't been so confused, hungry, and scared, we could've all worked together! They didn't have to die! My dad didn't-"

She couldn't say another word. She burst into tears, sinking her head low. She told herself to stop, that her tears meant nothing to Elsa, but she couldn't. She had never told anyone her final conclusion, and saying it now only reopened the wound she thought long healed. Her tears flowed from her eyes, unwanted and unstoppable.

Elsa took her hand.

Anna's head shot up, and she looked at Elsa with wide, tear-filled eyes. Elsa was looking at her with sorrow in her own eyes.

"You never truly forget the thing that killed your parents, do you?" she said. With her free hand, she reached over and wiped the tears from Anna's eyes. Anna was speechless. "It is an indelible stain, on you and on the world."

Her voice was steady and her eyes clear, but she was more emotional than Anna had ever seen her. And she wasn't done.

"There is nothing in this world stronger than the desire to eradicate that which took them from you," she said. "Except, perhaps, the shame when you realize…that you cannot."

Her piece was said, and she stood up to leave. As she walked away, she pulled her hand from Anna's slowly. Her fingers trailed across Anna's skin, as if wishing to keep holding on. She glanced back at Anna more than once as she left.

Anna lingered for a while, sniffling. She looked at her hand. It had been but a short moment that Elsa had held it. But she could still feel the warmth.


	12. Chapter 12: Undeniable

**Chapter twelve**

**Undeniable**

With each passing day, Anna relished these hot baths more and more.

She lowered herself into one now, wincing as the steaming water reached each wound on her body, one by one. She gasped as she submerged the large wound on her midsection, which had just scabbed over today. Soon she had submerged herself up to her neck, floating slightly in the colossal porcelain tub. She sighed in contentment as the heated water assuaged the aches of her scars.

Beneath the tub, a small fire kept the water hot. If not for that fire running out of wood, she could stay in here for hours on end. Though it was close to scalding, she felt no pain from it or any of her wounds. Not to say she was in constant pain normally – she had grown quite used to the minor aches her days of exploration inevitably produced. But here, her mind was free to drift away from her physical aches and think of whatever she pleased. With all the new information she learned each day, it was quite handy to have a chance to process all of it, organize things in her mind, and truly understand them.

And yet, as she learned more and more, and old mysteries were resolved and replaced with new ones, there was one mystery that took up more and more of her thoughts.

She sighed. It always comes back to Elsa, doesn't it?

Well, to be wholly accurate, she wasn't exactly a mystery, with one simple solution hidden from sight. A puzzle was closer to the reality. Every day, she found a new piece, yet the full picture was still beyond her ken. She had thought it would take years to get Elsa to start opening up, yet she had come so far in just months. She hadn't thought a vampire who had lived for centuries could change so quickly. It defied all logic.

It was fitting in a way, though. Defying logic was something Elsa did on a regular basis. She seemed almost sadistic at times, yet now she reacted to her wounds with poorly hidden concern. In her lessons, she spoke dispassionately about great plagues and wars, as if they didn't matter to her at all, then turned around and gave her detailed explanations on how to prevent them. She scorned human culture, yet her castle seemed almost a celebration of it.

Part of this, of course, was the paradox inherent in vampires itself. They were born of humans, but now fed off of them. They felt themselves superior, yet needed them to survive. It was no surprise that their relationship with humanity would be complicated, but Elsa's seemed far more so than she had expected. She had compared her to an onion before, but that seemed inadequate. It was more like an oak tree at this point, with dozens upon dozens of rings. And just like an oak tree, the key to understanding then lay in her past. Yet so far, that comment she had made at the end of her story was the most she had spoken of it.

It felt rude to pry, but this part of Elsa's past fascinated her. Surely, she had been human at one point in her life – vampires having a child was incredibly rare, and Elsa herself had confirmed this. If Anna could just connect to that part, it would be a huge step forward in getting her to appreciate humanity. But Elsa spoke and carried herself as if she had been a vampire her whole life. None of her actions hinted at so much as a memory of being mortal. She'd almost accept that she had forgotten that life over the centuries that had passed, except for the fact that her memory had proven sterling otherwise. She seemed intent on maintaining such a pretense even though both of them knew it couldn't be the case.

Anna sighed and tipped her head back. With every new answer she gained, ten new questions popped up. Who was Elsa, really? What was she like before she became a vampire? What led her to hate humanity?

_And why can't I stop thinking about her?_

xxxxxxx

Four hours into the day, and sleep still eluded her, in both bed and coffin.

Elsa lay in her coffin at the moment, preferring its snug, enclosed space. In the bed, she knew, she'd only toss and turn. But if her body was constrained, her mind was in no such shackles. It raced to and fro, for once completely busy. Which was a good thing on its own, but the reason why she had so much to think about was something she couldn't have ever predicted.

When she had first started teaching Anna, there was little structure to her lessons. She'd simply list off a number of facts on the topic at hand, correctly assuming that every scrap would amaze the girl. As much as Anna's questions tired her, they did a good job at forcing a through-line into the lessons. But as Anna learned more and more, this was no longer sufficient. Now she had to plan things out ahead of time, thinking long and hard about where to start and where to end. She was even trying to consider which subjects Anna would like to learn most – since when had that been a priority of hers? In all her years on this Earth she couldn't remember a time when she'd acted so strangely.

She snorted, reprimanding herself. _Acting strangely? Oh, don't I wish it were that simple._

Certainly, she was doing odd things. Planning a route to help an intruder get further into her castle, thinking of ways to reward a student for learning, trying to determine what next kindness she would reward a _human_ with – all of these things would be strange, under most circumstances. But she knew a pattern when she saw one. Every action she took was entirely consistent, provided one simple thing was true. And she truly wished it wasn't.

_Is this truly the state of things? How could I have allowed this to happen?_

It couldn't just be her beauty. She'd acknowledged that she was attractive from the moment she entered her castle, and had endeavored to not let that cloud her judgment. Obviously, it still had, but surely not to this extent. She couldn't rightly claim it was because of the time Anna fed her, either, though that must've contributed. Was it simply her kindly demeanor that had built the feelings up, day after day?

She scowled at the lid of her coffin, which offered no answers. _I suppose the cause doesn't really matter, does it? What I need to be thinking about is what the hell I'm going to do about it._

Obviously, she couldn't just ignore the problem. Lying to herself was a bad habit she had no intention of falling back into. The sensible thing would be to turn Anna away and tell her not to return, so of course she wasn't going to do that. She could act as rudely as possible to try and convince her to leave on her own accord, but she knew she wouldn't be able to go through with it. Besides, Anna was smart. Start acting bizarrely like that, and she was bound to realize something was amiss. And the last thing she needed was Anna knowing she had this kind of power over her.

Vampires were not blind to the concept of…infatuation. Though they would self-isolate in most circumstances, it was not unheard of for two to become taken with each other and live together. And if course, it was more than common for humans to do so – just look at how many of them there were. It wasn't even unheard of for a human to fall for a vampire, or for that vampire to indulge the human for their incredibly short life. But the reverse? For a her to become attached to a human before the human was to her? That was rarer than snowfall in hell, and with good reason. Any of her kind who did so would be seen as a weakling and a laughingstock. It would be a de facto elevation of that human above herself, something no vampire could allow.

And yet she wanted to.

Anna was kind and free-spirited, yet not an airheaded idiot, either. Her cheer and wonder were infectious. When she was around, the stuffy, tiresome castle she'd called home for centuries seemed to brighten and take on new life, as if reality itself was rising to meet her lofty expectations. It was a polar opposite to Elsa's own worldview, and yet she craved it. The girl was an admirable fighter, too, which she respected in spite of the increased danger it represented. And yes, she was undeniably attractive, too. She'd been calling a red-headed thrall to her bedroom almost daily, and still it was inadequate.

She wasn't used to uncertainty. Boredom was the hallmark of most of her kind's lives, and up until a few months ago, she had been no different. But now, a series of very important questions swirled around in her head, and the answer to all of them depended on something she couldn't know for sure.

_Is she attracted to me, as well?_

If she was, that would simplify things greatly. The girl grew bolder by the day – if she did have feelings for her, it would only be a matter of time until she confessed her feelings. Reciprocation would be leagues easier than instigation. But for all that Anna had volunteered, she had been strangely coy about her sexual preferences. Must be to do with that damned modesty she'd not yet shaken.

It was a problem unlike any she'd faced before. If she wanted Anna to confess her feelings, one way or the other, that was something that couldn't be forced or coerced. It was purely to do with Anna's own free will. But that didn't mean she had no say in it.

_I can't make Anna fall for me. But I could facilitate it._

Performing kindnesses could help, couldn't it? It could obviously never generate attraction where none existed, but it made things easier to develop. But how could she do that without demolishing the reputation she'd built up in Anna's eyes?

Another tricky question. But at least this was one she could work on.

Sleep was an option for vampires, not a need. So it was that Elsa had a sleepless day as she pondered ways to progress things between herself and Anna.

_That girl is a puzzle. But if anyone can solve it, it's me._


	13. Chapter 13: The summit

**Chapter thirteen**

**The summit**

_Knock knock_

Anna stirred from her slumber. Blearily, her eyes opened. "I'm coming," she mumbled reflexively. "I'm coming."

As she swung her feet out of the bed, she spared a glance to the heavy curtains, drawn shut. Surprisingly, there was still a faint hint of light around the corners, visible only because of the night vision she'd developed over these past four months. It was still twilight, far earlier than Elsa usually sent for her. Their last lesson had gone long, so she was a little short on sleep.

She made it to the door, leaning on the door handle as she shook herself into alertness. Then she eased it open. "Yes, Oliver, how can I-" she began, then stopped abruptly.

"Is this a bad time?" Elsa asked with faux innocence, looking down at Anna's nightwear.

"Elsa?" Anna gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Elsa replied. "This is my castle, is it not? I have the right to come and go as I please."

"Well, yes, but don't you usually send someone instead?" Anna said, self-conscious about the fact that Elsa was fully dressed and she wasn't.

"And here I thought you might appreciate the personal touch," Elsa said reproachfully.

Anna folded her arms. She was now alert enough to realize Elsa was messing with her, if not quite alert enough to make a witty comeback. Before, she might've stammered on for minutes on end, but she was wise to Elsa's games by now, and capable of playing along.

Elsa nodded approvingly. "Right, then. Get dressed. We're going on another venture into my castle."

"Already?" Anna replied. She moved to her wardrobe, filled with sets of clothing and armor of variable quality, all claimed from former explorers she'd found within the castle. "Where to this time?"

"To the top," Elsa said. "The very peak of the highest tower. Or as close as you can make it, anyway."

"The top?" Anna repeated. "But you said I was months away from being able to reach it."

"Well, Anna, you must understand, you've changed a great many things by being here this long," Elsa said. "I've felt emotions around you that I haven't felt in ages."

"Oh," said Anna. "I-"

"Impatience, for instance," Elsa continued. "I've grown quite bored of watching you dither in the lower halls of my castle."

Anna chuckled. She should've known there would be a turn-around coming.

"Therefore," Elsa said, "I will assist you again. With my help, you should have no trouble at all."

Anna's eyes lit up. Despite it going exceptionally well the first time, Elsa had resisted fighting by her side again. "Excellent!" she said.

"Once again, I trust that you do not expect me to carry you through my castle in a handbasket," Elsa said. "We will each take on an equal burden, just as before."

"Of course," Anna said. She remembered fully well that Elsa had claimed her role would be more passive the last time, but she obviously didn't say this.

"I'll give you three minutes to prepare," Elsa said, turning her back. "Hurry, now, or I'll start without you."

"Three-" Anna protested, then gave up. She whirled back to the closet and quickly grabbed her gear, thinking of the quickest way to undress and redress. She pulled off her nightwear, not even pausing to check if Elsa still had her back turned. She threw on her clothes as quick as possible, then spun around and threaded her arms through her pack's handles in one quick movement. "Ready!" she declared.

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked.

Anna nodded.

"Then let us be off," Elsa said. The hint of a smile graced her face, and she walked with a spring in her step, just barely detectable.

She might as well have been beaming.

xxxxxxx

"Hah!" Elsa grunted, swinging her hand. A mere front-handed slap sent the approaching zombie flying down the hall. It hit another zombie in the shoulder, stunning it, and Anna capitalized on the moment with a dagger through its forehead. A third zombie came into Anna's range, with several more still behind it. Anna struck the side of its head with her whip, which caused a piece of its rotting flesh to fall off and expose its brain. Elsa dashed forward with inhuman speed and ran past it, raking her fingernails across the exposed pink matter. The zombie fell, followed shortly by the two behind it as she grabbed both of their heads and slammed them into the floor with her momentum.

She never would've admitted it, but it was clear to Anna that she was having a terrific time. Even without seeing the smile on her face, Anna recognized her movements as energetic and enthusiastic. She was killing even more than her fair share – Anna now struggled to keep up. But that wasn't to say Elsa had forgotten about her. Now Anna ran forward. Elsa heard her footsteps and ducked down, allowing Anna to leap over her, knife drawn, and skewer the next shambling creature. As the two of them went down, Elsa rose behind them, tossing fireballs at the next two.

Anna had never fallen into sync so naturally with any of her partners as she was now. Part of that must be due to the speed and grace afforded to a vampire, but there was something about how instinctually the two of them fought together. It was all she could've hoped for and more.

They came to another staircase now, hopefully the last one before the tower. Elsa merely flew to the top of it, while Anna leapt with her gravity boots to skip it. It was a tricky angle, but the sailed to the top with no incident. She'd grown quite accustomed to these boots by now, and with only a few minor scrapes from tonight, there was no pain to cloud her judgment.

"Too tired to climb?" Elsa asked, eyebrow raised.

"Sure hope not," Anna responded, running ahead. Her stamina had made perhaps the most incredible improvement since her time here, with all of her running and stair climbing, but there was no sense pushing it. Just because she had more energy now than most times didn't mean she couldn't run out if she was careless.

The entrance to Elsa's astronomy tower was nondescript, unmarked by any signs. Once the two of them entered it, they were greeted to a series of distant platforms, spiraling up the tower. Some of them were even moving back and forth. Anna gazed upward, taking it all in and figuring out her next moves. Elsa watched her, as if expecting something spectacular.

_Well, might as well give her what she wants._

With a crouch, Anna leapt to the first platform, then sprung to the second quickly. An arrow trap triggered on her left, but she backflipped away from it, landing on the next platform up. A gap separated her from the next platform, so she latched her whip onto a candelabra on the wall and swung over to it, which gave her the right jumping-off point to reach the next one.

Elsa slowly rose through the center of the tower, watching Anna with an impressed look on her face. "Quite skilled," she said, admiring Anna's deft footwork. "I've never seen any human so graceful. Where did you learn to do all of this?"

"Picked it up…as I went along," Anna said, pausing between platforms. "I could never be as strong as my male counterparts, so I practiced my finesse.

Elsa nodded, seeming to stop herself before she could speak more praise.

At what must have been ten floors up the tower, Anna began to run out of breath. She stopped on a large bit of stone and panted, as Elsa regarded her amusedly and leaned against the wall. "How tall is this tower anyway?" Anna asked, taking a swig from her canteen.

"If you wish to see the heavens, you must pierce the clouds," Elsa said. "You humans never could, of course – even your grandest cathedrals are pitiful in comparison, and you can't even reach their steeples."

"Give us time," Anna said. "We'll just build them higher."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "I haven't read the bible in some time," she said, "but didn't things end badly the last time you tried?"

Anna grinned. "That's the thing about us humans," she said. "If we want something, we'll never rest until we get it, no matter what." As a demonstration, Anna leapt again, grabbing onto the next distant footing and pulling herself up. Elsa scoffed, but began to rise anyway.

Up and up they went, spiraling higher and higher. There were no windows to mark their progress, and all Anna saw above and below them was an endless column of featureless stone. Still she climbed, confident that there would eventually be an end, and she would reach it. Elsa kept an eye on her all the time, her smile growing wider as they went higher.

Finally, they reached the top, a stone ceiling with a short staircase leading up through it. Anna paused to catch her breath again, and Elsa stepped onto the slight platform she stood upon. "Congratulations, Anna," she said. "You've made it."

"I have?" Anna said, placing her hand on the wall for support. "And here I thought you were going to tell me this was the halfway point."

Elsa chuckled. "Come, now," she said. "I would never be so cruel as to lie to you like that. Though it might be funny." She began to ascend the staircase. "Come. It's time you see the fruits of your labor."

Anna lingered only a few seconds longer. Already she was eager to see what awaited her. Gulping down some fresh air, she climbed the stairs, wincing slightly as her legs protested. By the time she reached the top, she hadn't quite caught her breath yet.

Which was just as well, because the sight at the top took her breath away.

Just as Elsa had said, they were above the clouds now. Their journey through the castle had taken hours, so it must've been almost midnight by now. The moon was new and provided no light, so there was absolutely nothing to take away from the beauty of the night sky.

Thousands of stars were visible above them, stretching out as far as the eye could see. She saw constellation after constellation, bright and vivid. Even the soft blur of the Milky Way looked as bright as if it were painted onto the sky. The night had never looked so bright or beautiful.

Anna craned her neck back and back, trying to take in more of the night sky. Eventually she leaned back so far, she tripped and fell onto her back. A look of concern flashed in Elsa's eyes, but Anna gestured to indicate that she was okay. She simply lay there, gazing up at the vast expanse of stars above her. After a little while, Elsa laid down beside her.

"It's wonderful," Anna breathed.

"Yes," Elsa agreed. "You humans waste your waking hours walking around in the day, but it bothers us not. The night belongs to us."

Anna smiled. "Lying here, looking at this…it almost seems worth it."

"Oh, it is," Elsa said. "We may be creatures of the dark, but we are not without light."

Anna nodded. They lay there for some time, just stargazing. Anna didn't see a telescope anywhere, but it almost didn't matter when the sky was this clear. She pointed out constellations as she saw them, and Elsa told her old, forgotten names for them that older civilizations had used. Elsa spoke at length about stars bright and dim, near and far. She pointed out Betelgeuse and Sirius, stars Anna had heard about but could never find. Elsa had slipped the long-forbidden astronomy textbook into her pack at the start of the night, but it stayed in her pack the whole time, not nearly as informative as the vampire beside her.

In her pack…

After an hour, Anna slowly got to her feet. She walked over to the parapet, pack in hand. "Elsa," she said. "Come here, I have something to show you."

"Oh?" Elsa said, rising. "What is it?"

Anna reached into her pack. She rummaged until she found what she was looking for, then slowed her movements. "There is something I've been meaning to do, and I'd like you to witness it."

Elsa wavered behind her, uncertain.

Anna pulled the bottle of holy water from her pack, her movements slow and predictable. Elsa's eyes locked onto it.

"This is my last bottle of holy water," Anna said. "I'm sure you're aware of that fact."

"I am," Elsa said, making no attempt to deny it.

"I never found a single bottle of holy water in any of the corpses I looted," she said. "Even before…that night, I realized you must've taken great pains to get rid of them. But I held onto this one, just in case I met a beast on my way to this castle's peak that needed it. I didn't."

She locked eyes with Elsa, then turned away. She placed her left hand on the parapet. Then, with bottle in hand, she pulled back and flung. The bottle twirled end over end through the air before being swallowed by the darkness of the night.

She turned back to Elsa, who made no attempt to hide the astonished look on her face. "There's nothing left in this castle I could ever need to use it on," she said. "Nothing."

It took a moment for Elsa to regain even a hint of her swagger and composure. "That's quite an optimistic outlook of yours," she said. "As usual."

"Maybe so," Anna said. "But I grow more certain of that fact each passing day."

Elsa joined her at the parapet. They stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing out into the world of darkness before them. In a short while, Elsa would resume her lesson, but for now, the both of them enjoyed the silent proximity. Anna, exhausted though she was, felt content as could be. And looking at the beauty around her, she hoped that things could stay this way, for a long time to come.

xxxxxxx

The castle loomed on the horizon, just as big and imposing as the stories had suggested. He gazed up from the embers of his dying campfire and glowered at it.

Part of him had protested against making camp for the night, but he knew he had to. The castle was still distant, and without his trusty steed, it would take at least a day to reach it. He would need his full strength for the horrors that surely hid within. Still, he was acutely aware that every minute that ticked by lessened the chance that she was still alive.

After properly extinguishing the fire, he climbed into his tent, fumbling a bit in the dark. Sleep finally approached, out of exhaustion rather than peace. Looking up at the ominous castle one last time as he closed his tent, he made a pledge.

_I know you're in there, Anna, and I swear, my debt will be repaid. I will save you._

_Or else perish in the attempt._


	14. Chapter 14: No business at all

**Chapter fourteen**

**No business at all**

_Braaah!_

The giant salamander roared. A three-foot long jet of flame erupted from its mouth, bright yellow and terrifically hot.

"Impressive, is it not?" Elsa remarked.

"It is!" Anna said. "You said these creatures are not magical in nature?"

"Not at all," Elsa said. "The salamander's stomach acid is incredibly flammable, and its teeth are of a similar chemical makeup to flint. When the creature clicks its teeth together, it generates sparks, which ignite the stream of acid as it exits its mouth. My flame traps follow a similar design."

"Amazing," Anna said.

"Normally they prefer the warmer climes of the Middle East, but I possess the technology to mimic their natural environment, which of course-"

_Ding_

Elsa sighed. "Oh dear."

Anna looked around for the source of the noise. "What was that?" she asked.

Elsa pulled a small electrical device from her pocket. "My alarm," she said. "It alerts me when the front door opens. It seems we have an intruder."

"Another adventurer?" Anna asked.

"I suppose so," Elsa said. "It's strange, I usually don't get visitors this soon after one another. A friend of yours, perhaps?"

"I don't think so," Anna said. "I generally travel alone."

"I see," Elsa said. "Well, I'll take care of it. Stay put, this won't take more than a minute."

"Don't hurt them," Anna said. "Whoever they are, don't fight them unless absolutely necessary."

"I'll do my best, girl," Elsa said, amused. "If I feel I might be in danger, then I'll have no choice, will I?"

Anna folded her arms, unconvinced.

"Don't worry about it," Elsa said. "I never initiate fights. If they're as amenable to conversation as you are, they've nothing to fear from me." With that, she teleported away, the salamander glancing at the pillar of fire she left in her wake.

"I should probably go after her," Anna said. "Just in case."

Luckily, the front hall wasn't far from here – the salamanders likely preferred lower elevations. She set off at a run to the front door.

_Could it be someone I know? I've partnered up every now and then, but usually just with someone going the same way as me. We split up as soon as our paths diverge, and that's the way we prefer it._

Except…

Anna gasped, them groaned. Her run became a sprint.

_Oh, for god's sake – not that idiot!_

xxxxxxx

"Stop playing games with me, monster! Where is Anna?"

"Oh, but I've already told you, she's just back here. We were learning about salamanders. Won't you join us? It's fascinating material, I assure you."

"I said that's enough, witch!"

"Beast, monster, and now witch? 'Elsa' works just fine, boy, you don't have to keep guessing."

Anna heard the argument long before she made it to the front hall. Cleared of monsters, the halls provided the perfect avenue to conduct sound. Anna sprinted down one such hall now, willing herself to go faster despite the stitch in her side.

"Fine. If you won't tell me, I'll find her myself. I'll tear this place apart if I have to!"

"Now that would be a sight to see. Your tool there seems ill equipped for demolition, but don't let me stop you from trying."

Anna burst into the hall, panting as she surmised the situation.

Elsa was standing at the mezzanine again, lounging against the handrail, looking down at the large towheaded intruder brandishing a broadsword at her. There was fire in his eyes, his anger no doubt stoked by Elsa's amusement. Despite less than a year having passed since they last met, it was somewhat astonishing to see that he looked _exactly_ the same as he had when they parted.

"Kristoff!" she shouted as her breath returned to her.

He looked at her, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Anna?" he said, a smile forming on his face.

That smile quickly dissipated when he saw her glare. "Kristoff, what the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

Whatever reaction he had expected from her, this clearly wasn't it. "What do you mean? I'm rescuing you."

Elsa held back a laugh.

"And what made you think I needed rescuing?" Anna asked.

"When we last saw each other, you said you'd be heading to Port Arthur to follow a lead," he said. "I got to Port Arthur, and nobody had seen or heard from you."

"I found another lead along the way," Anna said. "As you can see, this one paid off."

Kristoff looked at her, then Elsa, then back to her. Understanding blossomed upon his face. "Oh, you're still following that crazy idea of yours," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, and clearly it's been working for me," Anna said angrily.

"What's clear about that?" Kristoff asked. "You've been missing for four months!"

"I've been learning for four months!" Anna countered.

"I'm sure she'd teach you anything she wants to, now that you're a prisoner in her castle," he said.

"Prisoner?" Anna said incredulously. "I'm not a prisoner! I can leave whenever I want, I just don't want to!"

Kristoff put his free hand on his hip. "Convince me of that. You could be under a spell of hers for all I know."

"What benefit could she possibly have for keeping someone captive for four months?" Anna pointed out.

"I don't know," Kristoff said. "Do you expect me to fathom the mind of a vampire?"

"You seem incapable of fathoming the mind of a human," Elsa said.

Anna wheeled around. "You stay out of this," she said.

Elsa raised her eyebrows in amusement, but obliged. This, at least, seemed to put Kristoff off-balance.

Anna used this opportunity to go on the offensive. She knew she'd never get through to him while he was up on his high horse like this.

"Let me ask you this, Kristoff. You said you'd be heading to Romania, then up north. So how is it that _you_ ended up in Port Arthur less than a year later?"

Kristoff folded his arms, somewhat awkwardly as he was still holding the broadsword. "My plans changed, too."

Anna didn't relent. "Oh, really? They changed so much, you walked 300 miles in the opposite direction to your destination, directly to the place I said I would be?"

"All right, fine, I'll admit it," he said. "I was hoping to link up with you again. You're a damn good traveling partner, and I still have my life-debt to repay."

Anna groaned. "Still with this life-debt shit? I told you, you would've survived that fall."

"You don't know that," Kristoff said.

"There was 20 feet of fresh powder at the base of that drop, and you were bundled up anyway," she said. "In any case, I told you I don't believe in life-debts! Catching you was a professional courtesy, not a favor to be returned."

"Well, I do," Kristoff insisted, digging in his heels.

_Really going to make me say it, aren't you?_

Anna shook her head. "This isn't about that at all, is it?" she said.

"Of…course it is," Kristoff said. "What else would it be about?"

"You know damn well what," Anna said. "You started acting differently ever since that night."

Kristoff's fire and bluster began to fade, and he looked down. "That's not…"

"Yes, it is," Anna said. "I shared a bedroll with you one time, and ever since, you've acted like you're my guardian angel."

Kristoff reddened. Elsa paled.

Anna realized she was working herself up, and took a second to calm down. "You're a good man, Kristoff. But you have your goals, and I have mine. I don't need you in my story, just like you don't need me to be in yours. This is my business, not yours."

Kristoff attempted to come up with a quick response, but the fire in his belly had gone out. He looked at her for a minute, then chuckled. "I guess you're doing better than I am, huh?"

He looked up onto the mezzanine where Elsa stood, and sheathed his sword in a deliberate motion.

"You said your name was…Elsa, correct?" he said. "It seems I owe you an apology, as I am trespassing on your property."

Elsa gave no response. No witty comeback. Just an unreadable stare. Kristoff continued, unfazed.

"I came here to rescue Anna, or else avenge her. But it seems I can do neither, and for that, you have surprised me. Forgive me if I can't assume the best in you like she does, but it seems you haven't let her down yet. See to it that you don't." He met her stare. "I take my leave now."

Elsa said nothing for a time. Then she leaned forward, gripping the railing. "Then get out," she said icily.

Kristoff turned back to Anna and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful, Anna," he said. "You're on a dangerous path now. Even if you make friends with this one, you'll have enemies all around you."

Anna nodded grimly. "I know. But there were always going to be risks. And hey, if I get myself in a bind, maybe I'll call in that life-debt after all."

"Very well. Take care of yourself, Anna." With that, he turned away.

"And you as well, Kristoff," Anna said.

As he departed, he took one look back at her, but the giant doors slammed shut behind him.

Anna turned and looked at Elsa, still on the mezzanine. "See, Elsa? I told you, people can be reasonable if you just give-"

"_Him_?" Elsa roared. "You slept with him?"

Anna was taken aback. "Well…yes, once," she said, confused. Elsa made no secret of how many times she took her thralls to bed.

"Fuck," Elsa said, spitting out the word as if to try and make herself angrier. "I knew you were no virgin from your blood, but I thought you had higher standards than _that_."

Anna felt her face turning red. "He was a warm body on a cold night," she said. "…Christ, Elsa, what's gotten into you?"

All the courtesy and affability Elsa usually dressed herself in had been stripped away. "That's all it took, then? One cold night?" she demanded. She gripped the guardrail so hard, the wood began to splinter beneath her fingers.

"What are you saying?" Anna asked. Elsa's questions dug into her own misgivings about the night, further humiliating her. "You're dressing me down like one of the priests would!"

"Oh, no, if I were a priest, I'm sure I'd be proud of you," Elsa sneered. "Being fruitful and multiplying, like a good little human."

Anna clenched her fists, sure she was undeserving of the scorn Elsa was now throwing at her. "And why is it any business of yours who _I_ choose to make love to?" she shouted.

Elsa's face fell at the penultimate word. Just as with Kristoff, Anna saw the anger drain from her. But beneath, she saw not acceptance, but sadness. Deep, deep sadness, verging on despair.

Instantly, Anna understood. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Elsa…" she whispered.

"You're right, miss Stoker," Elsa said in a broken, dejected voice. "It's no business of mine at all." She engulfed herself in a pillar of flame.

"Wait, Elsa!" Anna shouted, sprinting up the steps. But she was already gone. Anna was alone.


	15. Chapter 15: A one-room castle

**Chapter fifteen**

**A one-room castle**

Just how long could an immortal being sulk, anyway?

Anna lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking. On her bedside table sat her latest finished book, the eighth she had completed since they last spoke. In half an hour, Oliver would come by with lunch, and she would ask him to bring her a new one. Until then, it was just her and her thoughts. The door wasn't locked, but save for an occasional jog to maintain her health, what was the point? No lessons were waiting for her out there.

She had not seen Elsa since that night. Any message Elsa might have for her was conveyed through Oliver, and it had been made clear that this was strictly one-way. It was impossible to know for sure, since she still had no idea where Elsa resided within this massive castle, but Anna suspected she was rarely leaving her room, either. The rest of the castle might as well not even exist to either of them. She had considered going on another raid just to let off some steam, but she wasn't really that mad, anyway. Hurt, maybe. Confused, definitely.

It was still so surreal. Elsa, an elder vampire, had fallen for _her._ But instead of saying so, she had decided to keep it to herself, before lashing out at her in a fit of impotent jealousy, then running and hiding away. In all the stories she had heard of vampires, from the church or otherwise, nothing like this had ever happened. How could she have known any of this would happen, and how was she supposed to go forward from this?

Yes, Elsa had been flirtatious and playful, but that had started the moment she'd walked in the door. Of course she was going to toy with a human that didn't want to kill her, she had every reason to. And she had grown markedly kinder since then, but that wasn't necessarily romantic in nature – hell, she wouldn't have even started this venture if she thought it would be impossible to befriend her. Elsa played with her cards close to her chest, that was just the way she had learned to live. There was no reason to suspect her budding attraction to her.

_I've said that to myself every single day, for three weeks straight. Obviously, I'm not going to convince myself of it._

There must have been some clues she could've picked up on. Some indication that things were changing between them. It had been no trouble at all to sense it with Kristoff, and yet this had totally blindsided her. Granted, Elsa took more effort to hide her emotions, but the signs must've been there. She had carried her up to her room twice, for god's sake!

_I was unconscious one of those times and woozy the other. Yes, _I_ felt happy in her warm embrace, but that doesn't tell me what _she_ was thinking._

Elsa guarded her emotions at all times, as if she wore a mask made of solid stone. This was no doubt due to centuries of mistreatment by other humans, so it was not unreasonable. She also liked to be in power, in a position of dominance. Maybe she felt that admitting feelings for her would lower her somehow, as if being the first to speak would be an inherently subservient gesture. But what, then? Was she just supposed to guess what Elsa was thinking? To assume that her feelings were-

Wait, _warm_ embrace?

Elsa's skin was cold to the touch. She had discovered as much when she carried Elsa earlier that night. She had no blood to warm her body, so how could she have felt warm that night? She must've been remembering this wrong.

…Unless Elsa had cast a warming haze. Diminished as she had been, it would be no trouble at all to cast that weak fire spell in such a small vicinity around herself. But vampires didn't crave heat like humans. The only reason to do that would be to make the person she was carrying feel more comfortable…

Anna put a hand to her head and groaned.

_So there _were_ signs. I've just been too oblivious to notice them._

She was still walking in circles on this. She could spend weeks poring over her memories, trying to determine just how clueless she had been in the past, but it wouldn't help her take a single step forward.

_Now that I know about her feelings for me, how do I go forward from here?_

Well, the answer to that depended on a lot of factors. Many related to Elsa's actions, which had so far been rather discouraging. But the one she should be able to answer herself was perhaps the most important one.

_Do I feel the same way about Elsa?_

And there she went, off from one spiraling unanswerable question to another. Accepting Elsa's flaws enough to live with and learn from her was one thing, but to pursue…this…would require much more stringent standards. Could she learn to love someone who killed people on a weekly basis, even if she had good cause in her own mind? Someone who viewed her own humanity as a weakness and walled it away? Someone who had insulted and demeaned her for the crime of sleeping with someone who wasn't her? Someone who now hid away in the recesses of her castle out of shame and jealousy?

Then she thought of Elsa delicately carrying her to bed, choosing to warm her body purely for comfort. She thought of the fiery woman fighting by her side, protecting her from injuries she feigned ambivalence to. She thought of her gracious host, smirking at her quest but indulging it anyway, to her own detriment. She thought of guarded smiles and glimpses of admiration, difficult to coax out but a great pleasure to see. Of brief glimpses of her heart, hints at trauma she felt compelled to soothe. Of slow progress, but a timeless being who seemed, despite everything, to _want_ to change, after all was said and done. Of barbed words that had gradually softened and turned to honey. Of a woman she respected, even admired in some ways.

Anna glanced in her mirror, and was only a little surprised to see the resolve in her face.

_Well, whether I could fall for her is moot. It seems I already have._

This rush of clarity spurred her into action. She swung her feet to the side, then stepped out of bed. Knowledge of what she had to do filled her with vigor where she had before been paralyzed by confusion and inaction.

_It seems my questions are resolved. Now it's up to her actions to determine what happens next._

Elsa was still secluded in her own room, likely drowning herself in disappointment and self-loathing. Held hostage by her own stubbornness, needing to be saved from herself. Well, she'd saved people from vampires before.

The question was, how to get to her? She had precisely one link to Elsa, and it was a soulless thrall. A simple creature with simple orders was one of the most unmovable objects in the world. He couldn't possibly be reasoned with.

But maybe he could be outwitted.

xxxxxxx

_knock knock_

"Coming, coming," Anna said, trying to make her voice sound natural. She knew any kind of subterfuge would be impossible for Oliver to detect, but her nerves would not be quelled so easily. She was, by all accounts, a terrible liar.

She opened the door to reveal Oliver carrying a tray of fruits and meats. Despite the other changes, the quality of meals had not gone down in these past weeks.

"Your mea_l_, miss Ann_a_," he said, passing it into her hands.

"Thank you, Oliver," Anna said, placing it on her end table. She was careful to move in such a way that he wouldn't notice that she was wearing her pack. "How is Elsa doing?"

"She i_s_ fine," he responded, the same answer he gave every time she asked.

"Yes, yes, that's good to hear," Anna said. "Has she been feeding lately?"

Oliver tilted his head to the side. "Feedi_ng_?"

"Yes, traveling to the nearby village to feed," Anna said. "I haven't seen her disembarking to do so all week, and I worry she may have forgotten."

Oliver paused. He appeared to be struggling with deciding how much information he was allowed to give her. "It is…possi_ble_ she is traveling by other mean_s_."

"It's possible?" Anna repeated, hands on her hips. "You mean you don't know?"

"I do not need to know, miss Ann_a_," Oliver said.

"You're supposed to serve her, to protect her if needs be," Anna said. "Those are your orders, correct?"

"That is corre_ct_," he said.

"Then if she's forgotten to feed, it is your _obligation_ to remind her, isn't it? To keep her healthy?" Anna demanded.

She had been kind to Oliver in all of their previous engagements, but now she tried to assume the forceful tone Elsa often commanded her thralls with. Though without soul, their brains still had to function to let them move without Elsa directly controlling them. Thus, they could think, and thus they could be confused, as Oliver certainly was now.

"I…supp_ose_," he said after some time.

"Well, you'd better go and ask her, hadn't you?" Anna said.

"Miss Anna, Elsa has forbid_den_ me from carrying messages from you to her," the thrall protested.

"This isn't a message from me to her, it's me reminding you of something you should've already been doing," Anna said. "You don't need to tell me the answer, but you _do_ need to ask, or else you've neglected your duty."

Oliver contemplated this further. Anna worried she might've laid it on a bit thick. He was still sworn to follow her orders as long as they didn't conflict with Elsa's, and that was really all she needed to convince him of. But it was done now. All that was left to do was wait while second after agonizing second ticked by.

"Very we_ll_," he finally said. "I will a_sk_."

Anna concealed the relief from her face. "Get to it, then. Chop chop." She closed the door, then quickly pressed her ear to it. The thrall was not light of foot, so it was easy to tell when he began to walk away a few seconds later.

_Now we count to twenty._

She counted off twenty seconds – fifty heartbeats – before quietly easing the door open. Oliver was halfway down the hall to her right, moving slowly and steadily.

_All right, just like I've practiced._

Anna crouched down, feeling conspicuous in the center of the hallway but knowing that Oliver wouldn't turn around unless he heard something loud. Like her missing this jump, for instance. She sprung off the floor, into the darkness of the rafters above.

She landed on the small metal platform feet first, though she planted a hand on it to stabilize herself anyway. The next platform was just barely visible in the gloom, but she made the well-practiced jump easily. Before long, she was easily keeping pace with Oliver below her, hopping along the precarious high path.

Her curiosity about how Elsa had followed her on her first venture into the castle's halls had born fruit a few weeks earlier. Surely, she hadn't crawled on the ceiling like a spider, and she had hung down from something. Indeed, this was her secret – a series of platforms hanging from the ceiling, suspended high enough to be enshrouded by darkness. Most of the halls were lit by candles halfway up the wall, likely for this reason. It must've been something she'd installed for the purpose of following intruders, leaping above their heads unseen and tormenting them without being given away by a telltale wing flap. Anna couldn't resist trying to learn how to walk upon them as Elsa had, and after a few falls, she'd gotten quite good at it.

In this manner, she now stalked Oliver, following him down hallways she'd never been through. The monsters along the way paid no mind to either him on the ground or her high above. The two of them progressed deeper and deeper into the castle, Oliver and his unseen chaperone. Closer and closer to Elsa.

_I'm coming, Elsa,_ she thought. _Whether you want me to or not._


	16. Chapter 16: Her walls

**Chapter sixteen**

**Her walls**

She had always pictured Elsa as living at the top of the castle. It would make sense to have your coffin hidden as far away from the entrance as physically possible, right? Why would you need such a large castle otherwise?

Yet, as she followed Oliver down twisting halls, branching paths, and the occasional stairway, Anna realized this was the wrong way to look at it. If you lived at the castle's peak, your intruders would just make a beeline for it. The real smart move was to hide away deep in the center of the castle, in a place an intruder wouldn't even think to look.

Oliver wasn't going through any secret passages, or passing any imposing monsters. The path he took was very straightforward, in fact. He walked down plain corridors and took simple, unguarded and untrapped paths. On more than one occasion, Anna noticed a hall she herself had walked down on one of her many ventures, which his path crossed. She had thought she'd explored this lower level pretty thoroughly, yet she realized she had never walked down the specific halls Oliver was now. Perhaps it was a subtle enchantment that gently nudged people away from the correct path – it was hard to tell.

Before long, they came to a hallway that was longer and more poorly lit than most. A massive steel door loomed on their right, tall and imposing. Anna was stunned – they had only walked for about ten minutes, and not at a strenuous pace, either. Yet Oliver confirmed it when he walked up to the door and began to knock on it. This was Elsa's room. Out of the whole gigantic castle, Elsa had been within walking distance the whole time.

_Clang clang_

Oliver's knocks on the door were slow and methodical, like everything else about him. There was almost no reverb from the knocks, suggesting it was thick as well as massive. After a long time, so long Anna began to wonder if he'd reached the wrong room after all, the response came.

"What is it?" Elsa shouted through the door. Despite its thickness, she was as audible as if she'd been standing beside him. "Who goes there?"

"It is Oliver, miss Els_a_," he replied at a conversational volume. Anna struggled to hear him from up in the rafters, but Elsa's hearing was likely good enough to compensate.

"What are you doing here?" came the reply. "I didn't summon you."

"I was just wonder_ing_ when you had last fed," he said.

"What?" Elsa said, now thoroughly confused. "Why should you care?"

"Miss Anna said I should be concerned," he said. "For your heal_th_."

Anna winced. She had realized she should've told him to not mention her at all about a minute after they departed, but it was too late by then. She worried Elsa might lash out upon hearing her name. Oliver could still feel pain.

A few seconds of silence followed. Then, finally, came the reply.

"A-Anna said that?" Elsa asked, voice trembling.

Anna was stunned. She'd never heard Elsa use that voice before. She sounded so vulnerable, so reserved.

"Yes," replied Oliver.

"Then tell her…tell her…" she said. Then her pitch changed. "Tell her nothing! It's no business of hers, do you hear me? Now leave, or I'll make a meal of you!"

"Yes, mistress," Oliver said. He turned and walked away, seemingly having forgotten about his question. Elsa's new order had completely superseded his old objective. Meanwhile, Anna contemplated what she had just witnessed.

_That was Elsa with her walls down - unguarded and emotional. The last time I saw her like that was after that holy water incident. I thought that was the only circumstance I would ever see her like that._

_Perhaps I may have a chance after all._

Yet this revelation did nothing to calm her nerves. The fact that she was just now seeing even a hint that her goal might be achievable served to underscore how foolish her endeavor was. But she couldn't back down now.

Still, she waited five long minutes before dropping down from the rafter, using her whip to silently descend. She gathered her courage and walked up to the door. It was colossal, easily ten or twelve feet high, and was designed to swing outward, likely to make breaking in that much harder. She raised her fist and knocked on the door.

"What is it now?" Elsa said, now irritable. "Oliver, if that's you again with some more stupid bullshit-"

"Elsa, it's me," Anna said.

Even through the door, Anna heard her gasp. "Anna?" she said, astonished. "H-how did you find me here?"

"I'll tell you later," Anna said. "We need to talk. Please, open this door."

"But…you…" A pause followed. "Oh, I see. You must've followed Oliver. Quite resourceful, miss Stoker."

Her voice was curt again, emotions guarded. She was already on the defensive once more.

"Yes, that's how I did it," she conceded. "Now, please, let me-"

"I must congratulate you, miss Stoker," Elsa interrupted, her tone indicating she wished to do nothing of the sort. "Few can say they have reached the door to my inner sanctum, and none among the living. I should suppose I shouldn't have expected an _adventurer _to control herself, even one under the pretext of hospitality."

"It's not like that, Elsa," Anna said. "You know it's not-"

"Your patience, too, is commendable," Elsa continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted. "It must've been so _dreadful_ for you to act so kind and friendly to a monster such as I these past few months. But it seems it was all worth it. No doubt you've taken advantage of my leave of absence to prepare for this moment of infiltration. I wonder what devices you have prepared for-"

Anna clenched her fists. "You will _listen_ to me, Elsa!"

Elsa, clearly taken aback, fell silent. Anna was surprised herself, but she kept going.

"You've assumed a great many things about me that aren't so," she said. "You've also insulted and demeaned me because of that. I wish to set the record straight. For that, I need to talk to you."

"Well, you're talking right now," Elsa replied. "No force is sealing your lips, or preventing you from speaking of whatever it is you wish to."

"I will not pour my soul out to a locked door," Anna declared. "Either let me in, or else come out here. I need to speak to you face to face, to know that you're actually listening."

"There you go again, speaking of needs," Elsa said, a touch of venom on her tongue. "Perhaps my English lessons did not manage to lodge themselves properly in your mind, so it seems I must school you on the difference between needs and wants."

"You know what I mean, Elsa," Anna said, but she knew she'd just be ignored again.

"Humans _need_ food, water, and shelter," Elsa said. "All of which I have _generously_ provided you, for no reason other than the goodness of my heart. What you _want_ is different. You _want_ to speak to me, to resume your precious lessons. I have no obligation to fulfill such desires, and if I ever deign to do so again, it will be because I say so, not you! Is that clear?"

Anna didn't respond immediately. She was too busy controlling her anger.

Elsa's words were cruel, harsh, and demeaning. Exactly what Elsa knew would make her lose her temper. For both of their sakes, she couldn't allow herself to fall for it.

She breathed in deeply. "Enough of this, Elsa," she said calmly. "I know you're hurt."

Elsa didn't interrupt her. She continued on.

"You've been hurt many times before, I can tell. You've learned to either lash out or hide away when it happens, and now you've done both. But things aren't as you think. Please, open this door, and we can talk about this like adults."

Elsa didn't respond at first. Then, after a moment, she spoke in a low, rumbling voice. "You speak so confidently of things you know nothing about."

"Then tell me about them," Anna entreated. "Explain yourself."

"I have no need to explain myself to a human," she said, haughtiness returning to her voice. "Now return to your chambers. I will not ask you again."

Things were going nowhere. She had to do something drastic.

Anna stood tall, balled her fists, and uttered just two words.

"Make me."

Another deafening silence was her response, so long Anna almost thought she hadn't heard. Then…

"I don't want to make you," Elsa said in a quiet, shaky voice. It sounded closer, too, as if she was standing right at the door.

"I know you don't," Anna said, putting her hand on the door. "You're not a monster, Elsa, and you don't have to act like one. So please, let's talk."

Yet again, a long silence was her response. Anna waited, barely breathing. Then, she heard a sigh.

"No."

It was weak and sorrowful, but the word still chilled her to the bone.

"You are kind, Anna, and charitable beyond all reason. But you have to learn at some point, there are some things blind faith cannot change."

An eerie, distorted nose emanated from behind Anna. She spun around and saw a strange portal, like a tear in the fabric of reality. A pile of bones fell from it onto the carpet. Giant bones.

Her eyes widened. "Please don't do this," she pleaded to the locked door, now cool to the touch.

"You leave me no choice," Elsa responded in a thick voice. "You've not listened to a single word I said, so it seems I must speak in a language you're more familiar with."

A broadsword fell from the portal, easily eight feet in length. The bones began to rumble, then slowly rose from the floor.

"Elsa, please-"

"Farewell, Anna," said Elsa, sounding utterly miserable. "I trust you can find the way back to your room, or the exit if you prefer. And if you truly are as kind as you seem…perhaps you will forgive me for this."

The bones assembled themselves before her eyes, forming hands, feet, legs. One hand plucked the sword from the floor, and a skull rose above the rest. Two blank eye sockets lit up with purple flame, and a jawbone slowly opened up. The now complete skeleton roared at her, head almost brushing the rafters.

Anna quivered. She took a step away, pressing her back against the now frigid door.

_I've never fought anything this big. Never even seen anything this big._

The skeleton took a step forward. The floor shook.

_What do I do?_

Then, by some mercy of god, her resolve found her again.

_Deep breath. Don't let the fear take you. Remember what you're here for._

She closed her eyes and breathed, focusing on what was behind her instead of that in front of her. Elsa was behind that door, surely not happy about what she had just done. She was still hurting bad, suffocating behind her walls. Anna's goal was unchanged, even if the odds had tipped against her.

Anna took a step forward again. With trembling hands, she pulled out her whip and unfurled it.

"I'm not leaving," she said, trying to sound more confident than she was.

The skeleton bellowed in response, raising its sword arm high. Anna leapt to the side, and the colossal sword slammed into the ground with a crash. She swung her whip as she landed, cracking it into the skeleton's right leg. He barely seemed to register the impact. He followed up his first attack with a horizontal swipe, forcing Anna to jump away again. She tried to counterattack a second time, but his incredible range meant that she had leapt too far away, and only the very tip of her whip hit his leg.

She kept her distance as the giant creature continued its assault, trying to figure out a plan of attack. The main advantage of her whip, range, was almost null. She had only her wits and speed to rely upon. Neither her axe nor her daggers would be effective, either. That bottle of holy water might've been handy, but there was no point dwelling on that.

The skeleton made another horizontal swipe, and Anna ducked under it. She remained crouched, then leapt up. Her gravity boots launched her up and forward, and soon she was at his eye level. She cracked her whip and aimed right for the eye. She hit it right in the burning eye socket, at least earning a grunt of pain from the skeleton this time. But then, as she started to fall, he grabbed her out of the air with his left hand.

Anna struggled to escape, kicking at his colossal fingers as her hands were pinned to her sides. "Let go!" she shouted.

He responded by squeezing her tighter, laughing as she cried out in pain. He wasn't breaking any bones, but her arms and chest felt like they were being crushed. He began to walk down the hall, away from Elsa's room and back towards Anna's.

"Oh no…you…don't!" Anna said, struggling to form the words with her chest squeezed like this. She lifted up her knees, raising them into his fist. She held them there for a second, in as close to a crouched position as she could, and kicked.

The gravity boots propelled her feet downwards, colliding with his little finger. There was a resounding crack as her enhanced kick smacked into his knuckle bone, dislodging it entirely. The skeleton shouted out in pain and released his grip. Both his finger and Anna fell to the ground. The bones crumbled into dust upon impact, while Anna somehow landed on her feet, causing her legs to buckle and bringing her to her knees. She gasped for air, knowing she had precious little time to recover. The now nine-fingered skeleton roared at her again, and he pulled back for another horizontal swing. Anna staggered to her feet, but she had no time to evade his slice. She raised her right arm, in the vain hope that she could prevent the sword from cleaving through her entire body.

_THWACK_

Her arm erupted in pain as the broadsword slammed into it. The impact knocked her off her feet and launched her back down the hall towards Elsa's door. She hit the carpet and rolled, tucking her arms in to minimize the damage. Her pack's clasp broke, and all of her supplies and weapons flew out and scattered around her. She landed on her front and moaned in pain.

"Get up," she groaned to herself. "Get up!"

She tried to push herself off the floor, but her right arm screamed in protest. It hadn't broken, but Anna saw a large bruise forming on it.

_It's not broken. That's the important part._

_It's not severed, either._

The realization struck her. With that kind of weight, that sword should've carved through her arm like butter, but it hadn't. It hadn't looked razor-sharp, but to be _that_ dull, it must've been intentionally dulled.

She looked up, past her spiked ball she had narrowly avoided landing on, to the giant steel door. Through her tears of pain, she managed a weak smile. "You still don't want me dead, do you?" she said.

_"GAAAH!"_

Anna turned her head. The skeleton, now thankfully far from her, was throwing a tantrum. He swung his sword around wildly, smashing it into the walls and floor and making a mess of the place. But looking closer at him, she noticed an oddity she hadn't before. While his horizontal swings were fast and uncontrolled, his overhead swings were significantly slower, hitting the ground with less power than the walls. It wasn't something you would notice when all of your attention was devoted to dodging, but now that she saw it from afar, it looked downright unnatural. Why would a mindless enforcer of Elsa's will handicap himself like that?

_Because her will is not to kill me._

The realization sent a shot of clarity through her. Powered by adrenaline, she rapidly reassessed the situation.

Elsa didn't want her dead, but she seemed okay with injuring her. By that logic, a horizontal swing with that blunt of a sword was survivable, but an overhead swing would crush her into the ground. Elsa must've commanded the skeleton to give her more time to dodge those attacks, and the oaf simply weakened all of his vertical attacks, even those with no chance of hitting her.

Anna looked up at the door again. She recalled it feeling colder and colder to the touch, but now it was visibly freezing over, with tendrils of frost snaking around the edges. She must've been using ice magic to fortify the door to prevent her from forcing it. That was a gamble, though – she recalled an early lesson explaining that metals became more brittle when their temperature dropped. Of course, Anna had neither the knowledge to open it normally, nor the strength to break it down.

Strength…

The skeleton interrupted her thoughts with a stomp, striding towards her while still brandishing his sword. The fire in his eyes flared up, terrifying lights in the gloom. He opened his mouth and bellowed.

_"GOOOO AWAAAAAAY!"_

Anna pushed herself up with her left hand. With her right, she grabbed the spiked ball off the ground. Once she was steady on her feet, she took the tip of her whip in hand. She wrapped it twice around the ball, then tied a quick knot. Then she turned to the skeleton once more, holding her makeshift morningstar in both hands, and met his stare with a steely gaze of her own.

"I will not," she said firmly.

The skeleton roared again, and ran at her with his arm pulled back for a slash. Anna stepped backwards until she was next to the door, then jumped forward between his legs as he swung. The sword missed her, but he stopped short of hitting the door with it.

_He's not that stupid, at least. Time for plan B._

With both of her hands, she lashed out with her whip. A sharp pain appeared in her right arm as punishment for her rash decision, but this time she got results. The morningstar slammed into the skeleton's right shin, making a satisfying crack as it impacted. He responded with a dull grunt, and Anna knew she'd done more damage than before.

He charged at her again, this time with a narrower stance. This meant he had to bend down further to actually attack, however, and Anna easily skirted around it. Her arm throbbed again, but she landed another solid hit on the same bone.

Three more times, she evaded and struck. Each time, the pain in her arm intensified, but slowly she witnessed the damage grow. The skeleton himself barely reacted, but cracks formed and spread in his shin bone. Though her arm screamed in protest, she also landed a couple of blows on his left leg, just to make sure the final blow would be completely devastating.

Finally, she dashed back to the door and stood in front of it defiantly. The skeleton, who had grown angrier with each missed strike, lumbered towards her, seemingly unaware of the critical damage to his legs. Anna bent her own legs, not enough to trigger her boots, but enough to be ready to dodge the next swing.

But as he approached, he slowed and lowered his arm. He eyed her suspiciously, then the door.

_Damn it, has he figured out my plan?_

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she demanded. "Hit me!"

He showed no response.

"You have orders, don't you?" Anna said. "To take me away from her room? Well, here I am, right in front of her door, and you haven't done shit about that! You must not be such a loyal servant of hers after all!"

She could sense his anger building, seeing his hands clenching tighter.

"You're supposed to follow my orders as well, aren't you?" she demanded. "That's what Elsa told me – you all have to obey my orders unless they differ from hers. Well, now my orders are the same as hers. Hit me, damn you! I demand that you hit me!"

The skeleton roared, and dropped his sword with a clang. The noise distracted her for a fraction of a second, and when she looked back at him, she saw him lunging forward, reaching out with both hands in a blind rage. Panicking, she realized she couldn't jump to either side, and so had to jump forward, between his hands.

Adrenaline surged through her, and time seemed to show down. As she moved through the air, she twisted to the left and swung with her whip again, aiming at the cracked shin for the final blow. This time, however, she was too close. Instead of hitting the bone with the ball, the whip wrapped around it. The impact wasn't there, but it still could be. All she had to do was pull. But if she wanted this to work, she'd have to pull with both hands. Due to the way she had twisted her body, she'd also be landing on her right arm. Unless she aborted her plan, the pain would be intense.

But this was _the_ plan. If she screwed this step up, she wouldn't get another chance. Her foe seemed just intelligent enough to not fall for the same trick twice, and even if he did, she didn't have much strength left. If she ran away to recover, who knew if Elsa would even still be there by the time she was fit enough to try again? More likely, she'd flee deeper into the castle, and set up defenses that made that iron door look like child's play. He needed to fall now, consequences be damned.

So she did what she had to. She pulled on the whip. She hit the floor. She bit down on her cry of pain. And she heard the sound of two bones breaking.

xxxxxxx

Anna was shouting something. Elsa tried not to hear her.

She was curled up on her bed, if only because it was the furthest place in her room from the door. Of course, there was no ignoring the shaking and crashing that her marshal was generating.

_She will be okay. She knows her limits, and he has his orders. He won't kill her._

_He_ won't_ kill her._

Ice poured from her hands, unmitigated and unwanted. The entire room was coated in it by now. Several of her delicate tools were surely damaged beyond repair, but right now, that was inconsequential.

"Leave me, Anna," she muttered. "Neither of us can hurt each other that way."

Through the whole time Anna had been here, Elsa had never once intended to hurt her. True, she had goaded her into exploring through her monster-filled halls, where she had suffered injury after injury, but she'd justified that as just allowing Anna to injure herself, and not technically hurting her by her direct actions. But now that excuse had backfired. By daring to hope for something between the two of them, Elsa had set herself up to be wounded, and that was exactly what had happened. Pain only deadens once you experience the same kind many times, and this was an absolute first.

She had been let down by humans countless times. She had had her trust broken by humans more times than she should've. But not once had she been hurt in this way – by having false hope of attraction to a human be dashed. It was no fault of Anna's, of course; the mistake was hers.

_And yet Anna is suffering for it._

She raked her fingernails across the side of her head, digging beneath the skin as if she could claw out these thoughts of hers.

_Why can't I just be the remorseless monster the humans think I am?_

"Hit me, damn you! I demand that you hit me!"

Elsa sat up abruptly. Among everything else Anna had been shouting, those words jumped out at her. She was obviously still talking to her marshal, but why would she say that? And it sounded so clear, too, as if she were right on the other side of the…

Elsa flew to her feet and dashed forward. "Stop!" she shouted. "Don't hit that-"

_CRASH_

She leapt back as her double doors exploded inward, flying off their frozen hinges and smashing into the opposite wall. Right behind them, the bones of her marshal flew in, tumbling and breaking apart as they hit the floor. His skull landed in front of her, looking as abashed and remorseful as a skeleton could.

_"Forgive me, mistr-"_ he managed, before crumbling into a pile of dust.

The rest of the skeleton fell apart, kicking up a dust cloud that obscured the doorway. Through the cloud, she saw a figure slowly approaching.

Elsa clenched her fists and forced herself to stoke the flame of anger that had been smothered under her despair. Silently, she cast a warming aura, melting away any trace of her ice.

"Well, miss Stoker, you've done it again," she said. "Not only have you disobeyed my orders even more brazenly than usual, you've destroyed my sanctum! I hope you understand the consequences of your-"

The dust began to settle, and Elsa stopped abruptly.

Anna's right arm hung limply at her side. With her left hand, she tried to hold it steady, but it moved a little with every step she took, sending a twinge of pain across her face each time.

Elsa tried with all her might not to let the concern show on her face. "A-and once again, you've injured yourself just to get closer to me. I th-thought you humans were supposed to learn from your mistakes."

At first, she thought the look on Anna's face was pure, unbridled anger, but as she drew closer, she could see that it was simply determination. "We…are going…to talk," she declared through clenched teeth.

_It ought to be anger. After all, her arm has been broken directly because of my actions._

Elsa tried to make eye contact, but her vision kept drifting to Anna's arm. "Well, you've got what you wanted. One way or another, you won't be confessing to a l-locked door. You may speak until I s-s-summon another guard."

Her voice betrayed the emptiness of her threat. The guilt that had been tearing her up inside was now threatening to burst out of her completely.

Anna glared at her. "How…long?"

"What?" Elsa asked. "I-it depends, on which monster I next choose to-"

"How long have you had feelings for me?" Anna shouted. She leaned forward as she did, moving her arm that much more. The pain this action produced came out in her last word, which turned pained and dissonant. "That's my question to you for the day!"

_That pain is my fault. Mine, and mine alone._

Now Elsa couldn't look at her at all. "Y-you're…speaking nonsense," she said. "Our relationship is purely…utilitarian."

Anna pointed at her. "You're lying," she said, wincing again as her right arm moved again, no longer held in place by her left. "I need to hear the truth, straight from your-"

"For god's sake, Anna, stop moving your arm!" Elsa shouted desperately.

Anna fell silent, her eyes opening wide.

_Well, I've done it now. Gave it away completely._

Elsa turned her back to Anna. "You've made your point," she said, defeated. "Return to your chambers now. My thralls will treat your wounds, and tomorrow we will resume your lessons."

It was a weak order, devoid of any of the command and control she normally possessed. If Anna didn't listen to her when she spoke declaratively, there was no way she would now.

"You still haven't answered my question," Anna pressed. Even with her back turned, Elsa heard her take another step forward.

"Do you wish to make me suffer further?" Elsa said, taking a step away.

"I want nothing of the sort," Anna said.

"Well, you should," Elsa said miserably. "I'm a monster who's verbally abused you, shut you away, and broken your arm. If you had any sense, you'd be taking out a stake right now."

"You're more than that, I know," Anna said. "Just tell me how long you've had feelings for me."

"Why could that matter now?" Elsa asked her.

"Elsa, please. I need to know."

"Don't make me say it."

"Come on, Elsa. Just-"

"From the first day you arrived!" Elsa exploded.

Anna fell silent, so she continued. "You strode through my front door, called me by my name, and proved yourself a higher caliber than any human I had ever met." She lowered her head. "I tried to deny it to myself, but time and again, you made that impossible."

Her head was in her hands now. "If you wish to stake me, now would be the moment to do so," she muttered. "I know you need two hands for it, so I'll hold it steady for you if you promise to make it quick."

Anna slowly approached her. She tensed up.

"Turn around."

Elsa opened her eyes. Her voice…it wasn't full of anger, or scorn, or sorrow. It wasn't even dispassionately neutral. It was…

_Impossible._

She turned, head still hung.

Anna reached out and took Elsa's face in her hand. Gently, she angled it up until they had made eye contact. Anna looked at her with warmth in her eyes, and a faint smile – _a smile!_ – graced her face.

"You fool," she breathed. "We've wasted so much time we could've shared."

Elsa's eyes grew wide. "You mean…you…?"

Anna nodded. "Took me too long to realize it, too."

"But Kristoff…"

Anna shook her head. "…was the only man I've ever slept with, and ever will."

Elsa reached out. As delicately as she possibly could, she brushed some hair out of Anna's face. "Then I…" For the first time since the foyer, she managed a smile. "I can…I'm so…"

Abruptly, she snapped to reality. "Your arm," she said. "I need…a sling…some bandages." She ran through a mental map of her castle, trying to think of where she could find some. "I'll be right back. Please…stay here," she begged. Anna nodded, and she dashed off.

Anna, left in Elsa's room, finally allowed her body to relax. Exhaustion pulled at her, drowning out the pain in her arm, but not the warmth in her heart. She spotted a bed against the far wall, and slowly walked to it, cradling her arm as she did.

Gently, she laid herself down in the bed. It was unbelievably comfortable, though roughly the same size as her own accommodations. There was an indent in the mattress from Elsa's innumerable nights in this bed, and Anna soon found herself nestled within it. Despite the recently frozen door, the room was comfortably warm.

Though the action had been quick, it was draining. Anna soon felt herself drifting off to sleep, nestled in Elsa's bed, thinking of the insane events that had just happened.

All that was left to do was dream about what might happen when she came back.


	17. Chapter 17: Time to mend

**Chapter seventeen**

**Time to mend**

It was amazing how gentle Elsa's touch could be.

Anna had seen her sink her fingers into solid rock and tear it to pieces, as if running her hand through a pile of snow. Yet she could also soften her touch until it was scarcely stronger than a human's. She had no idea how long this skill must've taken her to hone, but at this moment especially, Anna was exceedingly thankful for it.

Very, very slowly, Elsa wrapped a bandage around her arm. She was hyper-attentive to Anna's movements, and at the slightest wince of pain, she eased off. Anna steadily felt her arm becoming immobilized, with the sling to be affixed once it was fully so. At the same time, Elsa's other hand held her arm steady, with a grip that was firm but not tight. With some irony, Anna realized that a vampire would make for an ideal nurse.

A silence hung in the air, as it had since Elsa had returned with supplies. She had gently nudged her awake, correctly assuming that Anna would know the proper position to take for a bandage and sling to be applied. It was an anticipatory silence, born from both of them knowing they needed to talk but neither wanting to. It was tempting to just keep silent for the whole time, enjoying their closeness, but there were some things that needed to be resolved.

It was Elsa that first spoke, to the surprise of both of them. When the bandage was nearly finished, she looked up at Anna, who had been staring at her the whole time.

"Do you…hate me?" she asked quietly.

"No," Anna said. It was a quick response, but her tone indicated that it was an incomplete one.

The next question was obvious, but it still took Elsa a full minute to work up the courage to ask it. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

Anna met her gaze. "Of course I am," she said.

Elsa winced as if slapped, but her hands remained steady. "Yes, of course," she said, ruefully looking down at Anna's bandaged arm. "How could you not be?"

"It's not because of the arm," Anna said.

This, she was not prepared for. "What?" she said, looking up again.

"I can take responsibility for my actions," Anna said. "I made a number of errors, without which I could've gotten through without breaking my arm. I don't hold that against you." Her gaze turned stern. "It is your behavior that I take issue with."

Elsa felt the strong urge to look away. She forced herself to keep eye contact, looking into Anna's eyes and seeing the fire smoldering within. "I understand," she said. "But please, tell me anyway. You seem to have much you wish to say."

Anna took a deep breath. "How could you treat me like that, Elsa?" she demanded. "I fully accepted, before I even entered your castle, that I wouldn't be treated as an equal. But to keep your affection for me hidden, and to pretend it doesn't exist? Why would you do that? Were you trying to get me to fall for you, so that I would be the first to confess and you could retain some kind of dominance over me, just for your own status?"

Elsa weathered Anna's remarks, but it was clear they rung true with her. "You are not far from the truth of it," she admitted.

"And that moment in the foyer with Kristoff, when you thought you couldn't have me," Anna continued. "You lashed out at me from your own disappointment, then ran away once I stumbled upon the truth of the matter. Was _that_ all you truly wanted from me?"

"It was not," Elsa said. "It is not."

"Then…why?" Anna asked. Elsa's interjection had drained her anger, leaving only confusion and hurt. But that wounded Elsa more than her anger ever could have, filling her with shame. Against this, she could say nothing but the truth.

"Because I know him," she said. Anna opened her mouth, but Elsa held up a finger. "I know his kind, I mean. The expression he looked at me with, of fear buried beneath hated and disgust. I've seen it a million times, on every other fool who has ventured into my castle, and before that, every traveler on the road I could not conceal myself from. For seven hundred years, I endured those looks, numbing myself to them. They alone cannot hurt me anymore." She sighed. "But to hear you speak of laying with him…"

Anna's eyes widened as she began to understand. Already, sympathy began to show on this incredible woman's face.

"You are…overflowing with compassion, that much is clear," Elsa continued. "I had little doubt you possessed the capacity to befriend such individuals. Perhaps you even became close friends with some of the less brutish ones. But once I learned that one such human had found his way into your heart…how could there be any room in your heart for me?" Now, at last, she broke eye contact. "I am everything he hates, so how could you care for one of us and not hate the other?"

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, gently touching the side of Elsa's face. Elsa guiltily pulled away. "It seems you've gotten all three of us wrong."

"All…three?" Elsa repeated.

"Kristoff is not a hateful man," Anna began. "You saw that yourself when he agreed to leave without a fight. He may be fearful, and a little slow on the uptake, but once he understands the situation, he is nothing like the worst I have seen in humanity."

Elsa seemed unconvinced, so she continued.

"Secondly, I never really held him in my heart, not the way you seem to have thought. He is a loyal friend, to be certain, and just the kind of man you'd wish to have at your back in a fight, but he and I simply did not connect in that way. In his heart, I think he would agree. On that night, he really was just a warm body."

Rather than cheer Elsa, this information only sank her deeper into her own self-loathing, as she realized her actions were further unjustified. "Very well, then," Elsa said. She released Anna's arm, as the bandages were completed, and fastened the sling. "You've told me how I misunderstood both you and him. But you suggest that I also misunderstood myself?"

Anna nodded. "Kristoff despises monsters. And you are no monster."

Elsa let out a bitter laugh. "You can truly say that, after what you've just learned?" she asked. "You now know I have had feelings for you since the first day we met, yet I still mistreated you all that time. Can you honestly say that it was not a horrible thing for me to do?"

Anna couldn't answer that, though it was clear she wanted to.

"I've not once treated you as an equal," she said. "But it seems I should have. After all, you are an incredible human, and I am a terrible vampire. I may even be your lesser, at that."

"That's enough of that," Anna said firmly. "I don't care who is greater than who. Perhaps vampires operate under those rules, and I know many humans do, but I do not. Strength, power, intelligence, position – none of that matters to me."

"Then what does?" Elsa asked.

Anna put her hand to Elsa's chest. "The contents of your heart," she said.

Elsa laughed ruefully. "Then you have your answer," she said. "My heart is empty. No warm blood flows through it. Stab it with a stake, and my body will die soon after, but it is not alive itself. It does not beat. It is a cold, dead heart."

Anna began to pull her hand away from Elsa's chest, but as she did, she grabbed her robe and pulled. Elsa leaned in, offering no resistance, and continued to do so even after Anna let go of her robe and instead wrapped her arm around Elsa's body.

"In that case," Anna whispered into her ear, "this should make you feel nothing."

She heard Elsa gasp as she hugged her as hard as she could with one arm. She could feel Elsa shivering. She was, too.

"I…feel your warmth," she said in a breathy voice. "I haven't felt something like that in a long time."

"You don't need to breathe, either," Anna reminded her. "And yet, you are short of breath."

"I…I…" Elsa was finding it hard to finish her thought.

"You are no heartless beast, Elsa," Anna said. "I've known that since the first day we met. I knew it before you carried me to my room and promised me answers to my questions. I knew it before I even hit your kitchen floor."

Elsa drew back and looked into her eyes. "You never hit the floor," she said. "I caught you."

Now it was Anna's turn to be speechless. Her already wide eyes opened yet wider, brimming with emotion.

"I didn't even think about it," Elsa said. "I saw you falling, I realized I wanted to catch you, and then…I had."

Anna nodded. "That is the way you normally live, isn't it?" she said softly. "Doing what you want, no matter what anyone thinks?"

"Nothing about my life has been normal since you arrived," Elsa said. "Before you came, every day was rigid and logical. Whole decades would pass by, unchanged but for what I chose to change. Now, every day is a mystery. I don't know what you'll do in the next minute, let alone the next day. You are chaos, and chaos is something I thought I would never want again. But now…" She trailed off, uncertain.

"Well then, miss Tepes?" Anna said, her voice turning sultry. "What is it that you _want_ me to do in the next minute?"

For a moment, Elsa began to shake again, but she managed to stay in control this time. "…I want you to kiss me," she said.

Anna smiled. Then she put her hand on the back of Elsa's head and gently pulled her in.

As soon as their lips touched, Elsa's body went haywire. Her skin went into goosebumps. Her toes curled. Her cold heart soared. Natural instincts that had been silenced for seven hundred years came to life all at once. She felt the urge to draw Anna into a hug, and she did so with as much strength as she dared. Other, more carnal instincts tugged at her as well, but they seemed shallow and base compared to the warmth she was feeling now.

The kiss couldn't have lasted for longer than a few seconds. But even to an immortal, a few seconds could feel like forever.

It was Elsa who broke away, if only to prove that she still could. Anna looked, if not breathless, certainly stunned. "I've never kissed a vampire before," she said quietly.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "I should think not," she said. "How does it compare?"

Anna put a finger to the side of her face. "Well…it seems there are some things you could stand to take lessons on, too."

"Ha!" Elsa laughed, caught off guard by her sudden levity. "Is that an offer?"

She hadn't realized how tense she had become during their exchange, but it was relieved with Anna's joke, for which she was grateful.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Anna said. "I've learned so much from you, it's high time I repaid the favor."

"Oh, but you already have, Anna," she said, leaning in again so that their foreheads touched. "Many times over."

She could scarcely believe any of this was happening. Mere weeks after her fears had come to fruition, her wildest dream had come true. Her world had shifted, around the axis that was Anna.

_Now what the hell happens next?_


	18. Chapter 18: Peace, for a change

**Chapter eighteen**

**Peace, for a change**

Anna woke up in her own bed once again. The familiar aches set in almost instantly.

Once again, she set about her slow routine of recovery, with the difference that most of her actions had to be performed one-armed this time. Elsa had provided her with some strange medicine to dull the pain in her arm, and it seemed to also have some effect on her other pains. She had been sorely tempted to study the medicine instead of taking it, but for once, her curiosity was outweighed by her common sense.

She hadn't gotten much sleep today. In between her pains, excitement, and imagination about the future, she'd spent most of the day awake. With some irony, she realized that being awake during the day and sleeping at night, as she had just done, now felt unnatural. Her body wanted more time to rest, but her mind couldn't sit still.

Shortly after she had finished dressing, she heard a knock on her door. She dashed to it.

Elsa stood in the doorway. Her posture was rigid, but decidedly not haughty, and her arms hung at her sides, as if she didn't know what to do with them. The look on her face could only be described as anticipatory.

"Hello, Anna," she said stiffly. "I hope you had a good day's sleep."

"Elsa!" Anna said with a broad smile on her face. "My day was quite restful, yes. How about yours?"

"It was…just fine. Thank you."

Anna's instinct told her to go in for a hug, but she chose to hold back and analyze Elsa's body language to determine if it would even be okay to do so. From Elsa, though, she received nothing but mixed signals. She seemed very conscious of the warmth now radiating from Anna, and how it contrasted with her own awkward rigidity.

Elsa cleared her throat. "In any case," she said, "I believe it would be wise to hold off on both lessons and combat today, in light of the tumultuous events of yesterday. Perhaps something more subdued would be desirable."

"That sounds good to me," Anna said. "So what did you have in mind?"

"A walk, perhaps," Elsa said. "Down a more peaceful hall than usual."

"I'd like that," Anna said. She emerged from her room. "All right, lead the way."

"Not so fast," Elsa said. She extended her right hand, so mechanically that it appeared she had calculated the exact angle for it. "I am concerned about your balance."

Anna tilted her head. "Beg pardon?"

"With your arm broken, you may not be able to maintain your balance as easily as you once did," Elsa said. "Even as trivial a task as walking may prove difficult without assistance. Therefore, for your own safety, I strongly recommend-"

Anna smiled as she realized Elsa's intent. She reached out and took her hand, silencing her immediately. "Good idea," she said, grinning slyly.

"Y-yes, thank you," Elsa said. "Now, let us be off."

They began to stroll away, hand in hand. Anna was strolling, at least; Elsa's movements were once again mechanical. She wasn't uncomfortable with the situation – her face had softened considerably as soon as Anna had taken her hand – but she seemed very, very unsure of how to conduct herself.

They climbed several floors up, with Elsa waving open locked doors in their path. Soon they were in a section of the castle Anna had never seen before, above the rectory. This section seemed to be modeled after ancient Greek architecture, with ionic columns and full-body statues lining the hall. Anna marveled at the sights, which gave Elsa some much needed time to try and compose herself.

"I'm sure you are aware," she began, "but things cannot go as they have before. Last night's events have changed a great deal between us."

Anna looked up at her. "I'll say," she said with a smile.

"There will be ample time in the coming days to redress the balance of things between us," Elsa continued. "I wish to dine with you more often, for one thing."

"I'd like that, too," Anna said.

"It shall be done, then," Elsa said. "More walks in close proximity, as we are doing right now, seem appropriate as well. Any escalation of relations should be gradual, and approved by the both of us beforehand."

She went on, rattling off items as if marking off a shopping list. Finally, she turned to Anna. "Does all of this make sense to you?"

"It does," Anna said. She thought about what she wanted to say, and how best to phrase it.

"I would advise against jumping straight to carnal relations, as we both have other methods of relieving such desires," Elsa said.

Anna looked at her funnily.

"Is something the matter?" Elsa asked. "Do you disagree?"

"I don't," Anna said. "But…I have a question to ask."

"Yes, of course, that is only natural," Elsa said. "What is your question?"

"Have you…" She backpedaled from this line, then held silent for a moment. "Was there…" She retreated from that one, too. Finally, she settled on a choice of wording. "How long has it been since you have done this before?"

She half expected Elsa to simply state a number of years, then resume her list. The other half of her expected her to freeze entirely. Neither came to pass. Instead, Elsa relaxed her shoulders, pinched the bridge of her nose, and chuckled.

"I expected it would not take long for you to ask me that," she said. "You're perceptive as ever. You've phrased it more gently than I would've, for certain. You are quite generous with your stated presupposition. Overly generous, in point of fact."

"Presupposition," Anna repeated quietly, pondering what she could've meant by it. Then she looked at Elsa, eyes wide. "Do you mean to tell me, even after all this time-"

"What I mean to tell you is irrelevant," Elsa said. "I can see your deduction skills have already told you the truth of the matter."

She looked embarrassed, but not nearly as embarrassed as Anna would've been to divulge such information. Again, she struggled to find the right words.

"…Not once?" she finally settled on.

"I live a solitary life, Anna," she said. "A very solitary life."

"Yes, but still, there wasn't anyone…" Anna shook herself. "Well, it doesn't matter."

"Oh, I assure you it does," Elsa said. "I've played the role of teacher for you this far, but on this subject I have never been anything more than an observer. When you told me there were some things I needed to take lessons on…it seems you didn't know how right you were."

"That's quite all right," Anna insisted. "I'll help you."

Elsa stopped walking. She turned her gently until they were facing each other. "Anna, I don't think you fully grasp what I'm saying," she said, vulnerability creeping into her voice. "I truly have no idea what I am doing. It's dangerous for a vampire to not know what they're doing. Look at how much I've already hurt you." She gestured at Anna's cast. "I can't promise something line that won't happen again. The fact of the matter is, I can't promise much of anything. I want to make this work, but I cannot guarantee that things won't end in disaster. Can you accept that risk?"

Anna remained rock steady. She lovingly caressed Elsa's worried face. "Of course I can," she said. "Risks are part of my trade. Only by knowing which ones to take can any meaningful change be made. This is worth it."

"How can you be certain?" Elsa asked.

"I can't," Anna said. "But it's been worth it so far."

She stood on tiptoe and leaned in close. Elsa, for all her inexperience, picked up on the cue.


	19. Chapter 19: Distant shores

**Chapter nineteen**

**Distant shores**

To think, she had believed confessing to Anna would lessen her stress. What a foolish notion.

Elsa paced around her room with her hands clasped behind her back, her bed abandoned entirely. The coffin she still had some hope in, but she suspected that she wouldn't get a wink of sleep in any bed for a long time to come. Without a biological need for it, sleep only came to her for two reasons – true exhaustion, or interminable boredom. The former required more exertion than even Anna could coax out of her, and she'd flat-out accepted the latter wouldn't return within the girl's lifetime.

_There must be something I can do for her! Some way to pay her back for all I've put her through!_

Well, obviously, there were hundreds of things she _could_ do for her – otherwise she wouldn't be on her third hour of contemplation. There was no limit to the number of gifts she could give to Anna, or the things she could show her. But that was all inadequate. Simply throwing around her power and wealth would do little to impress her, and do even less to make up for how she had treated her. The woman had put her own body on the line time and time again for her, something Elsa could not even come close to reciprocating. The nagging voice in her head that said she was being too generous to a human had largely fallen silent, swiftly replaced by a voice saying that she hadn't done nearly enough for her. It was not a significant improvement.

It wasn't as if she was had no recourse. She had started using the mirror to try and snoop on humans, to learn how they conducted themselves in a relationship. The usefulness of that information was limited, however. She and Anna already had a relationship, with expectations and presuppositions. Though she had humbled herself considerably already, she would have to debase herself much further to try and emulate many of their courtship rituals. What would be the point in strolling through a field picking flowers when they both knew she could instantly bring the both of them there with a snap of her fingers?

She turned around, and her foot slipped. She looked down and saw that the floor was now thinly coated with ice. She exasperatedly unclasped her hands and stared at them venomously. While less than normal, ice was indeed pouring from them.

She groaned in frustration. Now that she'd seen it, her agitation would only grow, which would make it worse. She balled her hands into fists and held them at her sides, which at least staunched the flow. "Mirror!" she snapped.

The Carpathian mirror hummed to life, rising from its pile and assembling before her. Being a magical construct, she saw her reflection in it perfectly, but this only worsened her mood as she glowered into her own eyes. "Somewhere distant," she commanded. "And empty."

She continued glaring at her reflection until it vanished from sight. The mirror swirled, and gradually an image came into view. The mirror had chosen the location it often did at this time of day, an empty beach in a part of the world that was dark at this hour. She pointed her hands at the mirror and screamed.

Ice shot from her hands at high velocity, pouring through the mirror and out over the darkened ocean. As it flew, it gradually lost energy and fell into the water. A patch of ice formed far away from her, gradually spreading and gaining mass as the blast continued. Elsa fixed her eyes on that point, staring at it with all the anger and hatred she could muster, as if those too could be expelled from her body.

Gradually, the blast of ice lost power, and its arc began to drop. It slowly traced a path back to the shoreline, a long tail following the massive chunk now floating on the water's surface. Elsa felt her anger subside with her blast of ice, petering out to nothing. She then watched the soothing sight of her ice bobbing up and down in the waves, slowly being broken apart by the water's natural movement.

She still wasn't sure if this process actively reduced her stress, or simply tired her out to the point she could no longer summon her ice, involuntarily or otherwise. All that mattered was getting that damned ice out of her. In this case, it was decidedly moot; as she looked at her bed, she realized that she was neither tired enough to sleep, nor relaxed enough to stop thinking about her and Anna.

The entire situation was frustrating to no end. Spending time with Anna was pleasant, but it always invited these agonizing questions about what to do next. Anna did her best to calm her, but she still knew too little too be of significant help.

She tried to ignore the myriad of questions circling in her head. The mirror still showed the darkened beach, so she gazed at it, as if by studying the mesmerizing motion of the waves, she could find an answer to her problems.

Then, miraculously, she did.

xxxxxxx

_knock knock_

It took Anna almost fifteen seconds to open her eyes. Her reward was a bright light shining through the crack at the edge of her curtains.

She winced, and pulled the covers over her head. Even such little light as that was enough to wreak have on her carefully cultivated night vision. Must be just about noon.

"Who is it?" she called groggily.

"It's me," came the answer.

"Elsa?" Anna said. Even now, thirty seconds removed from the grips of sleep, she recognized the oddity of this. "What are you doing up during the day?"

"I could not sleep," came the reply. "If you are willing, I wish to attempt something with you."

Anna rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "Well, I'm up now," she mumbled. One thing that was nice about living with Elsa was the knowledge that she could speak as quietly as she wanted and still be heard.

"Excellent," Elsa responded. "Dress lightly, and exit your room when you are ready."

"Lightly…?" she wondered to herself. Then she shrugged. "Sure, I'll be right out."

_You're lucky I'm so tired, or I'd be asking so many questions._

She dressed quickly in the lightest armor she had, then emerged. Elsa, despite her own advice, was wearing the same robe she always did. She'd said something about how being familiar with an outfit made it easier for it to change with her during transformations…whatever, it didn't really matter. "Okay, I'm ready," she yawned.

"I…hope I did not disturb you," Elsa said. She seemed abashed, as if just now realizing she had interrupted Anna's sleep.

"Well…you did," Anna said, able to think of no other recourse than the blunt truth. "But it's all right. If something has you out of bed in the middle of the day, it must be important."

"…It's not crucial," Elsa admitted. "But this is the only time it could be done."

Anna blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Okay, now I'm curious," she said. "What do you have in mind?"

"You've traveled a lot, yes?" Elsa said. "Have you ever been to a beach?"

"Yes, in fact," Anna said. I made it to the coast of the Mediterranean once."

"Did you enjoy it?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, I did!" Anna said brightly. "The sand, the sea air carried on the breeze, the bright sunny-" She caught herself. "…Yes," she finished quietly.

Elsa chortled. "You can speak of the sun around me, Anna," she said. "It will not offend me."

"Of course," Anna said, still looking abashed. "So, what are you thinking?"

"I would like to take you to a beach, right now," Elsa said.

"Now?" Anna repeated. "But it's the middle of the day."

"It is not daytime everywhere," Elsa responded. "We will go somewhere it isn't."

Anna pieced together Elsa's cryptic explanation with the church's teachings. "Of course! The sun travels around the earth, so some parts will be day while others are night!"

Elsa put a hand to her forehead. "Perhaps putting a hold on your astronomy lessons was a mistake," she muttered. "Well…you've grasped the basic gist of it, at least."

"Uh, okay, then," Anna said. She looked down at her attire and realized she had misinterpreted Elsa's instructions about dressing lightly. "Excuse me for a second," she said, gesturing at her clothes.

"Very well," Elsa said.

She went back into her room and shuffled through her wardrobe again, this time looking for something with shorter sleeves and pant legs. She found some comparatively short garments, then rolled up the ends to at least expose her elbows and knees. Nothing could be done about the cast, but she'd grown adept at getting dressed around it. She left the room once again.

"Okay, now I'm ready," she said to Elsa.

"Perfect," Elsa said. "Now close your eyes."

"Close my eyes?" Anna repeated. "Is that necessary for teleportation?"

Elsa had implied people and beings could be brought with her during teleportation, but had never done so with her. If they were to instantly jump somewhere with no sun, she assumed that would be the only way.

It seemed she was wrong, however. "It isn't," Elsa said. "And we will not be traveling in the way you seem to be thinking of." She grinned slyly. "Am I not permitted a few secrets, even now?"

"I suppose you are," Anna said. She obediently closed her eyes.

She heard a faint noise, like tinkling glass. Then…

_Whoosh_

A sudden rush of air blew in her face. In an instant, the ambiance changed around her. The old creaks of the castle gave way to the sound of gently lapping water, and the once musty air was now fresh, with a salty tang to it. It took tremendous resolve to not open her eyes immediately.

"You may look now," Elsa said.

Anna opened her eyes. Her mouth fell open soon after.

A massive dark ocean stretched out ahead of her. Waves crested and fell, their foam catching the light of the full moon above them. To either side, a ribbon of golden-brown sand lined the water's edge. As she turned, she felt the crunch of sand beneath her feet. She quickly kicked off her shoes, then socks. With both feet bare, she scrunched her toes, feeling the sand caught beneath them. The peculiar feeling brought back memories.

"This is amazing, Elsa!" she declared. "I haven't been to the coast in over half a decade – thank you so much for this!"

"Yes, I suppose that would be a significant period of time for you," Elsa replied. She examined the unusual movements of Anna's toes, then attempted the motion herself with her own bare feet. She seemed to find the sensation puzzling, yet continued to do it.

"Where are we?" Anna asked.

"The continent across the sea, on the other side of the world," Elsa said.

Anna's eyes went wide. "The other side of the world?" she repeated. She wheeled around, looking at the thick forest inland. "Then…where's Mount Purgatory?"

Elsa burst into laughter. It wasn't malicious, but she still quickly tried to suppress it. "My apologies, Anna," she said. "Let me just say, you are fortunate you got away from the church when you did."

"I…see," Anna said. She didn't really, but there would be ample time to explain later. Right now, she found her attention being pulled at by the warm air around them, and the gently lapping waves, and the soft sand…

"This landmass was once attached to the one you reside upon," Elsa said, entering into her lecturing mode. "Forces within the earth caused it to drift apart long before any of our times. Some theorize that the vampire's primordial ancestor came from this continent, but no evidence has been found of this, and very little credence is…"

She trailed off, noticing Anna's attention was elsewhere, and chuckled. "This lesson can wait," she said. "I didn't bring you here just to give you another lecture. Go, enjoy yourself."

"Okay!" Anna exclaimed. She took Elsa's hand and began to run.

"Wait, I didn't-" was all Elsa had time to say before she found herself running as well.

Anna closed her eyes as she ran, laughing as she felt the warm breeze on her face. She hadn't taken the time to do her hair up, so it simply flew around in the wind. Elsa admired the sight for a while, before reaching into her own hair and steadily undoing her braid.

She could not bring herself to laugh as gaily as Anna, but as she ran along the beach with her hair blowing in the wind, she could do nothing but smile. It felt innately soothing and liberating – or maybe that was just Anna.

Their little run ended up being short-lived; Anna hadn't thought to stretch beforehand, and soon developed a stitch in her side. After that, they simply contented themselves with standing on the beach and staring into the sea, which they found no less enjoyable.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Elsa asked after a time.

"Yes, I am," Anna said. "Are you?"

Elsa was mildly surprised by the question. "I must confess, I am," she said.

"I'll bet," Anna said. "No wonder you don't miss the sun. If you can have a view like this any time you want – I bet you'd never get tired of it!"

Elsa looked down. "…Quite," she said.

"Thank you for sharing this with me," Anna said. "I'll have to find some way to pay you back for this."

Elsa froze.

"Pay me back," she repeated. "Pay _me_ back?"

"Yes, of course," Anna said, a little uncertain. "Is that a problem?"

Elsa gave no answer. Instead, she began to walk into the chilly water, staring forward as if in a trance. Her cloak began to float on the water's surface as she went deeper, fanning out around her like an ink blot dropped from high above.

Anna ran into the water herself, wincing at how cold it was. "Elsa, what's the matter?" she asked, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Did I say something wrong?"

Elsa turned her head sharply, looking directly at Anna. "_Can_ you say something wrong? Do you have the capacity? Because I've seen no evidence of it!" Her voice verged on hysterical.

"Please Elsa, I don't understand," Anna said.

"How can you be so innocent, so pure?" Elsa demanded. "This world is cruel! It breaks down every man and beast within it! How have you survived the way you are?"

Anna had no answer for her question. Eventually Elsa turned away, directing her flustered gaze out to sea. Anna stepped forward, reaching out. Elsa heard her approach, but did not pull away as the girl wrapped an arm around her waist.

She noticed Elsa's fists were tightly balled, with small blasts of ice escaping through her fingers. "Let it out," Anna said quietly.

Elsa didn't even seem surprised that she'd noticed. "Fine," she said, defeated. "Why stop now?"

She unclenched her fists and breathed deeply. It wasn't as bad as it had seemed – only a few short spurts of ice escaped from her hands – but she angled them away from Anna anyway. Once they had abated, she wrapped her arm around Anna's waist as well.

Yet again, Elsa was painfully aware that she would soon be having yet another uncomfortable conversation about what had just happened. But right now, a comforting silence reigned. And Elsa, wreathed in darkness and knee-deep in cold water, basked in the warmth of the girl beside her.


	20. Chapter 20: Holding on

**Chapter twenty**

**Holding on**

Elsa unwrapped the cloth, then put her hand on the plaster sleeve and pulled. The whole thing slid off Anna's arm. "How is it?" she asked.

Anna bent and straightened her arm, then moved her fingers gingerly. "It's good," she said with some amazement. "I feel no pain."

"The healing process is not fully complete," Elsa said. "Try lifting anything too heavy, and you might suffer drastic consequences. But the bone is set, and it is safe to grant you a full range of motion once more."

Anna marveled at her arm, then the cast. "I've never seen a bone heal so fast," she said. "To think, plaster was the solution."

"I think my potions may have had some effect on it," Elsa said sarcastically.

"Well, yes, of course," Anna conceded. "But healing tonics are too costly for most hospitals to mass-produce, and some shun them outright. This, though…" She grabbed the discarded cast and turned it over in her hands. "This will be of incredible use to the world."

Elsa sighed. "Even when humans do create something worthwhile, it takes centuries for them to discover what it can _really_ be used for," she said. "If you ever get me started on the Parthians, I'll likely bend your ear all day."

"…I see," Anna said, not really knowing what to say in response.

"In any case," Elsa said, "your arm is largely back in place. I will maintain the milk in your diet for now, as calcium is paramount to a full recovery."

"That's fine," Anna said. Her cheeks turned a light pink. "I…I still quite enjoy milk, in truth."

Elsa looked at her. "You do?"

Anna's blush deepened a little as she nodded in assent.

Elsa chuckled. "Why did you not say so?" she asked. "You could drink milk every day, if you so desire. Just tell the thralls whatever you want."

Anna was quite surprised. "But it's a drink for children," she said.

"And who told you that?" Elsa asked. "Some human? Well, you're not under their authority anymore – you needn't hold on to their petty rules. In my house, you may eat or drink whatever you please."

"I see. Thank you," Anna said. From Elsa's tone, though, she knew she was just getting started.

"Do you think I trouble myself with what some humans consider right or wrong? Why should I? Why should anyone? Humans wall themselves in with frivolous rules, brick by brick, thinking they have built themselves a house rather than a prison. We vampires are above such petty boundaries."

"Your kind still has rules," Anna pointed out.

"Only where necessary," Elsa said. "Things to help us survive and avoid conflicts with each other. But you'd never catch me abstaining from something I wanted to do, just because some other vampire told me I couldn't."

Anna frowned.

"Not to say that you are some mindless fool," Elsa said quickly. "The life of an adventurer is about as free as humans get. But you've seen the way I live. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want to – all vampires can. With all this power I've amassed over the years, I am truly free."

For the first time in a month, Anna crossed her arms. She looked at Elsa, unconvinced.

Elsa chuckled. "I suppose I can't lie to you, can I? Certainly not about that, after all you've seen." Just like that, the braggadocio had evaporated from her voice.

"I'm a tad insulted, to tell the truth," Anna said. "I recognized the tremendous restraint you operate under from the first day we met." She looked down at Elsa's hands, resting on the table. "Even if I did not know the true extent of it."

Elsa sighed. "I was wondering when you intended to bring that up."

"I was looking for an opportune moment-" Anna began.

"There won't be one," Elsa interjected. "But I suppose that means this is as good a time as any."

She turned her hands so that her palms were facing up, and spread them apart. It seemed merely talking about the subject was enough to agitate her, as small fountains of ice began to spout from her hands as soon as she stopped suppressing it.

"I possess an inclination towards ice magic," she said, her tone bereft of even a hint of pride. "I have had this affinity since birth, even when I was a…before I became a vampire."

Anna's eyes widened. "That's incredibly rare," she said. "Predilection towards magic is largely determined at birth, of course, but to be empowered at that age, especially with an ability as uncommon as ice, it offers unlimited potential for…" She trailed off when she saw the unamused look on Elsa's face.

"That's a remarkable trait you have," Elsa said in an irritated tone. "No matter the topic, you somehow manage to phrase it in a positive light. Under other circumstances, it's quite endearing."

Anna scratched her head. "I'm sorry, I must be missing something," she said. "It seems to be tied to your emotions, and you've had it since birth. By those two metrics, and your long lifespan, it should be your most powerful magic by now."

"It is," Elsa said, her tone finishing her sentence. The ice still emanating from her hands intensified for a half second, as if to punctuate her thought.

"Oh," Anna said. "But…you exhibit perfect control over all your other magics."

"Because I can, and because I must," Elsa said. "Why do you think I prefer to use fire in most circumstances?"

As if to prove her point, she summoned a flame in the palm of her right hand. With a hiss, the streams of ice disappeared.

"They say fire is dangerous, uncontrollable, even," she said, gazing into her flame. "But fire is easily subdued. All you have to do is starve it…or choke it." She closed her hand, and the fire went out. Almost instantly, ice began to form once more. "But how do you subdue ice, besides fire?"

"Subdue is the wrong word," Anna said. "Ice needs to be controlled, the same way you control a sword so as not to cut your own arm off. With proper training, most sorcerers learn to control it within a few-"

Elsa placed her hand on the table, palm down. It was not especially forceful or loud, but it silenced Anna immediately.

"I know humans are fond of hyperbole," Elsa said, her voice just too quiet to be normal and dangerously level. "They like to exaggerate the amount of effort a task has taken, or how much work they have put into it. So trust that I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I tell you that I have spent _centuries_ trying to control it."

A coat of ice spread from her downturned palm, expanding across the table. The natural contours of the table's wood grain shaped the growing sheet, turning the edges jagged like the teeth of a saw.

"How do you suggest I control this?" she asked. "Take a deep breath and count to ten? Suppression is the only thing I have found to work. Gloves were sufficient for a time, but they proved inadequate as my power grew. Every method I tried to control this power failed in time. And I assure you, those failures came at a price, especially before I had this castle. The things I've suffered through, all because of this _curse_…"

She cut herself off. With the look of concern on Anna's face, she felt certain she had made her point. "Well, best not to delve too deep into it," she said. "Self-pity will only make it worse."

She had to look away from Anna's face. She still hasn't gotten used to the piteous looks Anna would give her after revealing such deep secrets about herself, or the feelings in the pit of her stomach that would follow. "Elsa…I had no idea," she began.

"Spare me your pity," Elsa said, though her voice lacked the conviction she had intended. "I didn't tell you this to earn your sympathy. It is simply something you should know, and now you do."

Of course, that didn't dissuade her. Anna now stood up and walked around the table, and motioned her to stand as well. Elsa, knowing how futile it was to try and stop her, stood as well.

"Very well," she sighed. She lowered her arms to her sides and allowed herself to be embraced.

It was not that she disliked Anna's hugs – far from it, in fact. The problem was, the more Anna did it, the more emotions she managed to coax forth, as if opening the lid of Pandora's box a crack further each time. It was a bad idea in general and a particularly bad one right now, but the girl was nothing if not completely willing to dive headfirst into danger.

Anna's familiar warmth surrounded her once more. Guardedly, she allowed herself to enjoy the embrace. "Yes, thank you," she said once she felt enough time had passed.

Anna didn't let go.

"That is enough, you may let go now," Elsa said.

Anna still didn't let go.

Elsa looked down at her. "Anna?"

"I've been waiting so long for this," Anna said, eyes closed. "Finally, I can hold you with both arms."

Elsa looked at the cast on the table with some guilt. "I…can understand that, Anna," she said, thinking of the ice still pouring from her hands, "but I really must suggest you let go of me now." With Anna's arm still weak, she didn't dare try to push her away.

Anna seemed not to hear her. "You've got more scars than I could ever have, don't you?" she murmured. "I just didn't see them at first."

"…Don't be silly, girl," Elsa said, pretending to take her words literally. "You know perfectly well I can heal anything that comes my way."

Anna shook her head. "Wounds heal," she whispered. "Scars don't."

Anna began to rub her hand up and down Elsa's back. Elsa reacted with a sharp intake of breath, cutting through the latest words of denial on her tongue.

"You're always so tense," Anna murmured. "Even when you try to relax, I can see it in your body language. Your muscles are taut, like you're ready to fight or flee." She took a deep breath, and Elsa felt her chest rise and fall. "I can't imagine what you've got bottled up in there."

Her voice was soothing, but the words pierced Elsa like a knife. Dozens of memories swirled around in her head, stirred up by Anna's words. Encounters she had convinced herself she had forgotten now swam into focus, becoming sharper by the second. "Anna, please," she began, but it was too late to stop them.

_She was tied to a large wooden stake, arms pinned to her side, on the bank of a river. The angry population of the nearby village stood in front of her, shouting obscenities._

_She had hoped to make it through the village unnoticed, but a flash of ice from her hands had given her away. Instead of a vampire, though, they took her for a witch. Some sort of religious purge had gone through the countryside recently, and paranoia was still high. Despite her insistence that she wanted no trouble, a vicious mob had formed in short order, their holy artifacts and crucifixes weakening her more than they could've known._

_She desperately tried to flee, but she was stopped at the river just outside of town – running water that she could not cross. It was there that the townsfolk tied her down and debated what to do with her. Calls went out to burn her at the stake, but the leader of the mob had a more expedient idea in mind._

Splash

_She gasped as she hit the cold water, tossed enthusiastically into the dead center of the river. The stake she was tied to had been soaked and waterlogged beforehand, so she quickly sank to the bottom, facedown. She tried to calm herself down, realizing that she was now in a position to escape. After a few minutes of waiting to see if she reemerged from the water, the townsfolk would get bored of their sport and leave, and she could escape. But her body still remembered its human fears, and panic set in as she felt her lungs filling with water. She spluttered, and the feeling of drowning, though no threat to her whatsoever, overwhelmed her._

_Ice poured from her hands, bound behind her back. She clenched her fists until she tore her own skin, but it didn't stop. It rapidly froze the water around her, the ice rising to the surface only to be replaced with more ice. Before she could do anything, she was pinned under six feet of solid ice, with even the water inside her lungs freezing over._

_For three days straight, she was trapped in absolute hell. She could barely see, barely move, and any attempt she made to break through the ice and get to freedom was undone by her hands, still pouring out ice to thicken the trap she had placed herself in. Until she eventually exhausted her magic, there was no way out. All she could do was scream, so that's what she did. For three days straight._

Elsa shook her head. "No," she murmured, wriggling in Anna's grasp. "No." She felt tears form at the corner of her eyes, and shut them tight, as if that would do any good.

"Don't try to hold it back," Anna said. Her voice was that of a caregiver, soft and gentle. "All it'll do is tear you up inside. Let it out. Let it _all _out."

Elsa had no willpower left to do otherwise. She opened her eyes, then her mouth, ready to scream.

Tears poured from her eyes, but no sound came from her mouth. Even trying to scream as hard as she could, she found herself unable to. Though it was wholly unnecessary, she took a deep, shuddering breath and silently wept.

Now that they had started, nothing could stop her tears from falling. Anna clutched her tighter, and Elsa now wrapped her arms around her as well, only just barely having the presence of mind to relax her grip to avoid hurting her. She lowered her head and buried it in Anna's hair, stroking her smooth, coppery locks as they began to dampen.

"It's okay, Anna whispered, her own eyes moist. "I'm here. I've got you."

Elsa didn't say a word in response, able to do nothing but silently weep. Anna, too, fell silent, continuing to stroke Elsa's back.

As time passed, her tears slowed, then stopped altogether. She relaxed her grip on Anna, who took this as a cue to do the same. "Feel better?" Anna asked.

Elsa, her face a complete mess, regarded her oddly. She wasn't angry or sad, just very, very puzzled. "Why would you do this?" she asked weakly. "Healer that you are, does it give you some twisted pleasure to tear open a previously healed wound just to soothe it again?"

"I promise you, that brought me no pleasure," Anna said. Then she gently grabbed Elsa's hand and held it up. "But this does."

It was only then that Elsa realized that her ice had stopped flowing completely.

She stared at her hands with amazement, then at Anna, then back at her hands. Anna smiled, knowing that she saw the correlation perfectly well.

"Normally I'm not the best at emotional counseling," she admitted. "It's hard for me to tell when I'm on the mark, and when I'm just guessing. But sometimes the results are self-evident."

Elsa started to compose herself. "So this is standard procedure, then?" she said. "Forcing confrontation with suppressed memories?"

"There's nothing standard about this," Anna responded. "Normally there's one key memory that needs to be faced, but I can tell there's far more with you. You've got centuries of memories up there."

Elsa sighed. "I'll have to do this a hell of a lot more, then," she said in a deadpan tone.

"You don't _have_ to do anything," Anna replied. "As I recall, you are truly free."

Elsa groaned. "Very well. Let's start again." She wiped away her tears and went back to her memories, deliberately stirring the pot this time.

Anna looked somewhat alarmed. "Again, so soon?" she said worriedly. "It would be best if you wait a few-"

"Right now, Anna!" Elsa snapped. "I've paid the piper already – I may as well hear the full song!"


	21. Chapter 21: The wrong idea

**Chapter twenty-one**

**The wrong idea**

_The old man was bleeding heavily now, but he seemed to have accepted his fate. He pressed forward with his silver knife, slicing though her hand as if it were-_

"Stop, Elsa!" Anna cried, alarmed.

At the sound of her voice, Elsa pulled herself from the memory. She took a step back and slipped on her own ice. Only a quick downward blast from both her hands kept her from hitting the floor. She turned to Anna, eyes stinging with tears. "This isn't working!" she hissed.

"I think you're misunderstanding what I said," Anna said yet again.

"I am doing exactly what you told me," Elsa said.

"No, you're not," Anna said, growing frustrated. "The point of this was to confront the things bottled up inside you, not to torture yourself!"

"I see little difference," Elsa rebutted.

Anna ran her fingers through her hair, which had become a disheveled mess. "Like I said yesterday," she said, "confronting these memories means accepting them and letting them go."

"They were quite far gone before you told me to suffer through them again," Elsa said.

"If you're suffering through them, then you didn't let them go the first time!" Anna declared.

"Then I'm supposed to be happy about being stabbed by a knife that burned like hellfire?" Elsa demanded.

"Of course not!" Anna shouted. "But you're supposed to express your pain and anger, and move _on_, not keep it up bottled up inside you until you explode!"

Anna threw her hands into the air with her last word. Elsa, seeing the irony, managed to cool her temper, her fiery retort smoldering to ash in her mouth. "You make a compelling point," she said, a hint of amusement on her face.

Anna endeavored to cool herself down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to yell."

Elsa chuckled. "Dear girl, you needn't apologize so often. As it happens, I believe I am the one currently failing to understand what you are trying to show me. Thus, it seems the fault rests upon me, and your anger is justified."

"Well, I suppose," Anna said, "but that means I made you relive a number of painful memories for no reason."

Elsa put her hand to her mouth in mock horror. "Heavens, you _made_ me, did you? And without using spells or holy magic, no less. How powerful you must be."

Anna put a hand to her forehead. "No…that's not what I…"

"I'm just teasing you now," Elsa said, ruffling Anna's hair. "It seems tensions are high, at the moment. How about a break?"

Anna smiled. "That sounds lovely," she said. "Excellent idea."

Elsa grinned. "I have those, every couple of centuries or so."

xxxxxxx

The full moon of their beach journey had waned, a mere quarter now shining down upon them – first or last, Anna hadn't kept track of. This, along with a starry sky, were more than enough to illuminate the valley before the two women.

By Anna's estimation, it must've been somewhere near the meadow where Elsa had taken her to ride the horses. A few trees dotted a quiet, calm riverbank, and though winter was approaching, the grass before them was still lush and verdant, swaying in a cool breeze. She shivered, drew her coat around her, and squeezed Elsa's hand, and together they set off at a slow walk.

"Relaxing, yes?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, very," Anna said.

"Good," Elsa said. "I have never really been put at ease by nature, but you certainly seem to be."

Anna smiled. "You chose a good place," she said. "It's quite nice here."

Elsa held her head high, proud of her achievement.

"It's quite romantic, in fact," Anna continued.

Elsa blinked. "It is?" she said, surprised.

"Well, yes," Anna said with a giggle. "Was it not supposed to be?"

"Well…of course, it's no problem that it is," Elsa said. "But I didn't think it would be."

Anna found herself growing curious, and she sidled closer to Elsa. "And what's your idea of a romantic outing?"

Elsa began to blush. "I was…under the impression that the most romantic outings would be in a field of flowers, or…a stroll along the beach…or some kind of festival."

"Yes, those are nice," Anna agreed, "but that doesn't mean this isn't."

"But…it's just a valley," Elsa said, gesturing at the surroundings. "It's quiet, uneventful – that's why I thought it would be a good place to calm down."

Elsa scrutinized the valley, as if she might discover the secret to its romantic nature. She settled on the trees. "I suppose these would be prime candidates for carving initials upon, or having a picnic beneath?" she asked, hoping for Anna to throw her a line.

Anna found herself unable to contain her giggles. "Oh, Elsa," she said. "It's just not as simple as that. There's nothing extrinsic that makes a place romantic. It's a feeling you get." She struggled to find words to explain herself.

Elsa's blush was now profuse. "I see," she said. "It would appear my methods of gathering information on the subject have…something of a glaring hole in them."

"It seems so," Anna replied. "I've spent hours upon hours in your library, and I don't think I've seen a single novel."

Elsa frowned. "Novel? Now we're talking about books? I'm not sure I follow your logic."

"Oh, never mind," Anna said. She stopped walking and turned to Elsa, who followed suit, and took both of her hands. "It's not logical at all. It's just something you have to get a feel for yourself. You're right that this is just a normal valley. But there's more to it than that." She shut her eyes and leaned back, swaying gently with Elsa's grip anchoring her. "Close your eyes. You'll feel it."

Elsa lowered her head. "I appreciate your confidence in my ability to-"

Anna held up a finger, silencing her immediately.

"…very well," Elsa said. She closed her eyes and endeavored to _feel_.

_The ground is soft beneath my feet, and the grass tickles them slightly. As a contrast to the halls of my castle, I suppose it is nice – but she's wearing shoes, she wouldn't feel all of that._

_The air is livelier and more humid than my castle's. If I choose to breathe, the smells of nature are…nice, I suppose. But those things would be true in any natural place._

_There are the sounds of nature around me, if I choose not to tune them out. Crickets in the grass around my feet, the swaying of grass in the wind, the soft breathing of a family of birds sleeping in a tree nearby. Humans seem to like the sound of nature, perhaps in contrast to the sounds of their own civilization – but her hearing is much weaker than mine. She couldn't hear any of that._

She opened her eyes. "I feel…as if I'm overthinking this," she said.

"Okay, that's fine," Anna said, this time managing her rising impatience much better.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Elsa said ruefully. "I took you here so we could relax, and here I am, failing to learn another lesson."

"If you're enjoying yourself, that's all that matters," Anna said.

"I am…enjoying being here with you," Elsa replied after some time.

Anna chuckled. "I'll take it," she said.

Elsa fell silent, and the two resumed their walk through the valley. They came to a large tree and Anna motioned for them to sit at its base, leaning back to rest against the trunk. Elsa had little need to rest, but did so anyway, and made her body as relaxed as she could. She wrapped an arm around Anna's body and, feeling the rhythm of her breathing, mimicked it, breathing in time with her.

It was a peaceful moment, sitting there in Elsa's arms surrounded by nature. Though she was aware Elsa wasn't getting quite as much out of it as she had hoped, she seemed happy enough for now. In addition, she felt she understood Elsa a great deal more now, and that would be crucial if she was to make any of this work.

In time, she felt Elsa stirring, and prepared for what she might have to say.

"I am sorry that I can't feel what you are feeling," she said.

Anna looked at her and smiled. "It's okay," she said. "You just aren't used to this, that's all. It'll all come to you in time."

"Are you certain?" Elsa asked worriedly. "I am not sure I even have the capacity to feel the way you do."

"Of course you do," Anna assured her. "You feel emotions just like I do. You're not some monster." She leaned back, confident in her assertion.

She was completely unprepared for Elsa's response.

"Aren't I?"

The words were bad enough, but it was the tone that really shocked her. Her voice wasn't trembling, nor was she angry – those would have been understandable. She sounded genuinely surprised, as if the thought of not being a monster had never even entered her head.

"Of course not," she said, turning to Elsa worriedly.

Elsa regarded her curiously. "Am I not a vampire? A creature of the night with an insatiable thirst for the blood of humans, whose bane is the light of day? Do heroes not journey the land, hoping to slay my kind for the good of humanity? Do mothers not tell their children to be good, or else one of my kind will come to get them? Do I not lurk in the shadows, hunted by the holy?"

"Perhaps," admitted Anna. "But you're so much more than that. You're intelligent, sophisticated, polite…"

Elsa snorted. "Sophisticated? Because I live in a castle? Does that mean the second I obtained this castle, I stopped being a monster?" Anna didn't contest the point further, so she continued. Intelligent? I've met many an intelligent demon – the best demons usually are, in fact. And I've met far more polite demons than priests."

Anna opened her mouth.

"A poor example, perhaps," Elsa conceded. "But that does little to change my point. Don't you humans say that actions truly dictate one's character?"

Anna nodded.

"I've killed hundreds," Elsa said. "Thousands, perhaps, all to sustain my own being. You hadn't forgotten that, I hope?"

Anna shook her head. "I haven't," she said.

"There you have it," Elsa said. She let go of Anna, perhaps thinking an embrace would be awkward given the subject matter at hand. "It seems you believe that calling me something other than a monster is a compliment, in which case I offer my thanks. Truly, though, I have made peace with what I am – centuries ago, in fact. My disposition and residence do not change what I am, nor does my attraction to you. I simply am a monster, and I've done nothing to prove otherwise." With that, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree.

Anna was astonished. Not only had she accepted that she was a monster, she seemed resilient to being told that she wasn't. Thinking back, Kristoff calling her a monster hadn't dissuaded her, either. How could she revel in it so openly? It must've been some kind of coping mechanism she had adopted centuries ago, to deal with the guilt of having to end a life every week.

_Not every week, actually._

Anna smiled. She leaned back against the tree and turned her head towards Elsa's. "Yes, you have," she said quietly.

"Oh?" Elsa said, eyes closed and voice utterly confident. "And how did I do that?"

Anna leaned in further, unnecessary though it was, until her mouth was nearly touching Elsa's ear. "I know what human blood smells like," she whispered.

Elsa's eyes shot open.

Anna leaned back, her confidence bolstered by seeing Elsa's reaction. "I've been around it long enough to know its distinct odor. It's pungent, and metallic in nature, like iron. But I've been around dead animals, too."

At the mention of animals, Elsa began to shiver. Anna wouldn't have noticed it, if she hadn't taken her hand a moment earlier.

"Animal blood smells different, doesn't it? Every animal's is unique and none of them are even remotely similar to humans."

"You can't know that for certain," Elsa said.

Anna smiled. "Perhaps not. But here's something I am sure about." She met Elsa's gaze. "You haven't smelled like human blood in weeks."

"H-how could you be so sure about that?" Elsa asked.

"Because I noticed it every week, when I first arrived here," Anna said. "It was something I could never quite ignore, tapping at the back of my head each feeding night of yours. So when it started to change, I noticed that, too."

"I was playing it safe," Elsa defended. "After that close encounter with holy water, I sought less risky alternatives."

Anna shook her head. "It started before that," she said. "And it's only increased since then. Tell me I'm wrong."

Elsa didn't even try to – looking into her eyes like this, lying was impossible. She broke eye contact and turned away.

"Just because you're right, that doesn't mean I'm wrong," Elsa said. "I still am a monster."

Anna put her arm around Elsa. She nestled into it, closing the distance between them.

"But when I'm with you," Elsa continued, looking at her with wide eyes, "sometimes…I wish I wasn't."

Anna embraced her with both arms, and they kissed. Elsa leaned into it eagerly. Adapting to her new life with Anna had been tumultuous in many ways, but as they kissed more and more, Elsa rapidly felt herself becoming comfortable with it, very satisfied with this new normal.

At least, until one kiss lasted longer than any before it, and Anna's heart rate began to increase. Elsa knew what this must be building up to, and she had been nervously anticipating it. As Anna began to open her mouth, she put her palm on Anna's chest, and Anna, though confused, backed off at the gesture.

"Wait," Elsa said as soon as their lips separated. "Before we begin, a precaution." She gently removed one of Anna's arms from her waist and placed it on her own shoulder. "If I should happen to bite into your tongue and not immediately break away, or if I hold you too hard and it begins to hurt…please, clap me on the shoulder, or pull on my braid, or do something to stop me."

Anna shook her head. "I'm not afraid of-"

"_I _am," Elsa said. "It would be a tremendous comfort to me if you would agree to this. Please."

Her sincerity was clear, and Anna could do little other than agree. "All right," Anna said, giving Elsa's shoulder a little squeeze.

Elsa smiled. "Then let us-"

She didn't even have time to finish her sentence before Anna took her head in hand and pulled it forward.

Anna's tongue darted into her mouth, past her fangs. Elsa completely froze up, taking a few seconds to realize she should probably reciprocate. The feeling of her tongue touching Anna's was bizarre, for certain. But she instantly wanted more.

This new kiss stretched on for five seconds, then ten, then twenty. Anna was a little clumsy, having to work around the fangs, but Elsa surpassed her tenfold. She had seen couples kissing like this in her research, but she still hadn't come close to grasping the mechanics of it, or why it seemed so pleasurable. The latter was now abundantly clear, at least.

It was only after a full minute that Elsa broke away, and only because she knew Anna had to breathe. They pulled apart slowly, with Elsa looking at Anna with anticipation. Anna panted for a few seconds, then smiled, leaning back in for another kiss.

As she basked in the pleasure of Anna's kisses, the rest of the night's events became just a bit clearer to her. Her senses, which had proved inadequate in gauging the value of a calm valley, now devoured every aspect of Anna they could – the feel, smell, and taste of her were overwhelming. And she now could say, with certainty, what was so romantic about a quiet, moonlit night.


	22. Chapter 22: Benefit of the doubt

**Chapter twenty-two**

**Benefit of the doubt**

Anna hissed as Elsa pressed the alcohol-soaked rag into the wound on her back. With her other hand, Elsa held her torso steady, feeling her try to arch away from it. "I told you they came out from cracks in the floor."

Anna was seated in a chair backwards, and she gripped the arms now and leaned forward into the back of it. "Then what was I supposed to do, look at every crack in that whole damned hall?" she grunted.

Elsa shrugged. "Maybe," she said. She dabbed at the other myriad cuts and slashes across Anna's bare back, with Anna's reactions varying in intensity with the depth of each cut. "Intruders aren't supposed to have an easy way to deal with these creatures. Rather the opposite, in fact."

She had expected Anna to perform somewhat poorly on this outing – it was her first time since her arm had healed, and though she was confident the bone had set by now, she was even more confident that the girl would be rusty. Her tenacity, at least, was on full display – she had insisted on staggering forward, even as attacks had savaged her from all directions, until they reached the end of that hallway. She'd been bloodied and bruised, but proud, which Elsa found utterly baffling. Now, as she tended to the foot-long gash running diagonally across Anna's back, she wondered if the girl still thought it was worth it.

"Of course I do," Anna said when she asked. "It was – ah! – good experience."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Experience in getting wounded? You're quite well-versed in that field already, I should think."

"Not like that," Anna said. "I really think I figured out their patterns, near the end."

"I'm sure you did," Elsa said, reaching for the gauze and bandages.

"No, really," Anna said. "Wasn't I getting hit less, by the time we reached the end of the hall?"

"I was not keeping score," Elsa said.

Anna swiveled her head around, fixing her with a knowing gaze.

"Yes, you were dodging more effectively," Elsa conceded. "But you still received far more injuries than you would've if you had turned around at the point I recommended."

"Yes, I heard you begging," Anna said.

"I was not-"

Swivel. Glance.

"I wasn't…it was a suggestion," Elsa mumbled. "I don't beg."

Anna graciously let the point pass, and Elsa launched back into her work. She placed the gauze over the wound, and Anna held it in place as she began to wrap the bandage around her waist. As she did so, her fingers brushed against Anna's stomach. Anna giggled, and Elsa did so again on the next pass, for longer this time. Once the bandage was tied off, both of her hands went to Anna's waist once again, gently caressing it. Anna breathed deeply, a smile on her face.

The obvious escalation from this point would be to move her hands upwards towards Anna's bare chest, but with neither of them in any kind of hurry, she opted to linger. As she continued to caress her stomach, she marveled at how well defined it was. Anna's abdominal muscles, while not massive, were tight and well-toned.

Anna giggled, noticing her lingering hands. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked wryly.

"...Quite," Elsa said, for lack of a wittier reply.

She had teased Anna in essentially the same way dozens of times, but she had never expected her to turn the tables. Half-naked, bleeding, and with her back to a vampire, Anna was utterly confident in her own safety. She was, indeed, safe – Elsa had seen her bloody many times in the past and was more than capable of controlling her instincts – but it was still very bizarre to indulge such confidence, especially when she was so used to breaking the confidence of her adversaries.

"I must admit, this surprises me," Elsa continued. "Even among other female adventurers, I have never met a woman whose musculature was as defined as yours."

She had endeavored to make this remark sound neutral, as if merely making an observation, but of course it was wasted effort. She blushed with pride, the pink tinge extended down to her neck and shoulders as well.

Blushing, of course, was a natural human reaction to pride or embarrassment caused by blood rushing to the head and upper body. It was also incredibly attractive, for reasons Elsa couldn't quantify nearly as easily.

Elsa knew her own cheeks were likely turning pink as well right now. She couldn't blush naturally, but her shapeshifting abilities could create a facsimile for it by simply altering the color of her skin. It probably wasn't the same color as Anna's – realistic skin tones were one field she always had trouble with – but it was just as involuntary as a real blush would be. Anna didn't seem to understand these repercussions, which was probably for the best.

_Oh yes, wasn't I doing something?_

Elsa remembered herself and stopped stroking Anna's waist, which she seemed mildly unhappy about, and finished wrapping the bandage. She tied it off around Anna's back, pulling the knot tight very slowly so as not to pull it too tight by mistake. "That should do it," she said.

"Thank you," Anna said. "Could I get a patch of ice on it, as well?"

"Yes, of course," Elsa said. She held her hand over the bandaged wound for a moment, creating a small clump of ice upon it, then pulled her hand away.

A few seconds later, the impact of what she had just done hit her. She stared at the palm of her hand, which now had no ice coming from it at all, with wide eyes.

Anna turned her head. "That helps a lot, thank…" She trailed off when she saw the shocked look on Elsa's face. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No," Elsa said in an amazed voice. "_Nothing_ is wrong." She turned her hand over, as if the secret to this miracle could be hiding there. "I've never had that much control over it."

Anna turned around in her chair. "Really?" she said. "Oh, Elsa, that's such great-"

"What the fuck?" Elsa said angrily.

Anna blinked. "What?"

"752 years," Elsa said, glaring at her hands. "752 fucking years, and_ now_ it does what I want? Now that I'm not in any danger whatsoever? Now that I've spent decades learning how to suppress it?"

"Elsa, calm down," Anna said. Miraculously, she did, though she still looked angry. "The past is in the past. Just focus on the now. What did you do differently this time? Were you focusing harder this time?"

"No," Elsa said. "I barely even thought about it. You needed ice, and I provided it. Any time in the past that I've been that careless, it's instantly gone out of control."

"I see," Anna said. "What else could be the cause, then?"

"You, obviously."

Anna's eyes shot up. "Me?"

"There's no doubt about it," Elsa said. "Ever since you've arrived, it's become significantly easier to control. Is that all I needed this whole time? Someone to love?"

"Or someone to protect," Anna said, already deep in thought.

"What do you mean by that?" Elsa asked.

"Generally, the ice is tied to your emotions. The stronger the emotion, the more powerful the magic, correct?" Elsa nodded. "That's how it often is with those born with powers. The emotion that brings it out the most strongly, most of the time, is the fight-or-flight response. The power activates when the person feels they are in danger, to protect them."

"Hah!" Elsa barked. "It's a damn shitty protector. Every single time it activates, I end up in a worse place than when I started."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "_Every_ time? 752 years of life, and it hasn't once protected you?"

Elsa sighed. "Anna, there are some things in this world that will _never_ happen, even over an eternity."

"I'm sure there are," Anna said. "But are you really telling me that this powerful magic has never made a positive difference in a life-or-death scenario?"

Elsa was about to answer in the affirmative, but a memory pulled at her – a recent memory.

That awful fellow at the inn, the one who had hit her with holy water. She'd managed to stumble away from him and out of the window before he could fire his first bolt, yet the next had come in a matter of seconds. Why would he have taken so long to ready the more crucial first shot? She had stunned him for a moment with her screech, but surely not for long. She vaguely remembered a cold feeling cutting through the burning of the holy water. Her palms would've been facing him…

She chuckled softly. "It seems I've resorted to hyperbole after all. The point remains, however, that it has ultimately caused me far more harm than good."

"I don't doubt you," Anna said. "But I think I'm starting to see what the problem is."

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"In your entire long lifespan, have you ever seen this power as anything other than a curse?" Anna asked.

"Why would I?" Elsa said. "That's what it is."

"No, it's not," Anna said. "It's not a curse, and it's not a normal spell, either. It's a part of you, just like your arm or your eye."

Elsa shook her head. "Those, I have full control over," she said. To demonstrate, she held her arm aloft and transformed it into a green, scaly appendage, and her eyes flashed in a spectrum of colors.

"And you control your ice, too," Anna said, gesturing at the patch on her wound. "But if you fail to accept it as a part of you, you deny control of it to your conscious mind, leaving it to your subconscious."

"Found the psychology books, did you?" Elsa said.

"Think about it, Elsa," Anna said. "What kind of thoughts are produced by your subconscious? Fear, anger, survival instinct – all things primal, uncontrollable. Consign your powers to the deepest recesses of your mind, and you will never take control of them. I've seen it happen in humans before, I just never had a name for it."

Elsa put a hand to her chin. "There may be something to this," she admitted after some thought. "But how do I fix it?"

"Learn to live with your powers," Anna said. "Not to deal with them – _live_ with them. Think about how you could use them in daily life, like how you'd use your hand to turn the page of a book. Don't fear it, welcome it. If it activates when you don't want it to, figure out something you can do with it, something constructive. If you can start and complete a task with it, your brain may register that and stop the ice automatically."

"And this has worked in the past?" Elsa said skeptically.

"Generally, the manifested power has been weaker, but yes," Anna said. "Cross my heart, hope to die." She drew an X across her chest with her hand, blushing slightly as the action called attention to the fact that she was still topless.

Elsa seemed unfazed by it. "So, I am to act as if my ice isn't a debilitating curse that's nearly been the end of me countless times?"

"Come now, Elsa," Anna said, reaching out to stroke her face. "I wouldn't be here now if I couldn't give you the benefit of the doubt. Is it really too much to ask for you to give it to yourself?"

Elsa leaned into her hand and closed her eyes contentedly. "I can't promise I'll be as patient with myself as you were," she said.

"That's okay," Anna said. She gently pulled, bringing Elsa closer to her. "I'll help you."

Elsa didn't say another word, choosing to express her gratitude by more physical means.

xxxxxxx

A few hours later, Anna was lying in her bed, thinking back on everything they had accomplished that day. One particular moment stuck out, and her eyes shot open.

She said _love_.


	23. Chapter 23: Gleaming in the darkness

**Chapter twenty-three**

**Gleaming in the darkness**

She knew the path to the dining room like the back of her hand by now.

As she headed there for breakfast, she shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her as she hurried down the hall. A cold snap had blown in the week prior, signaling the start of winter in dramatic fashion. Though thralls stoked fires in every room they could, the cold still crept into the castle's many halls. Not that she hadn't been in colder climates; she suspected spending so much time in Elsa's castle had spoiled her.

Elsa was already waiting for her as she entered the room. She quickly strode past the long table, gradually getting warmer as she approached the hearth and its roaring fire. Anna's place was set, a hearty breakfast laid out upon it.

"How did you sleep?" Elsa asked.

"Very well," Anna said. "It's been some time since I've gone to bed while it was still dark."

"And your room? Has it remained warm enough for your purposes?"

"It has for now," Anna said. "As winter stretches on, that may change. That window is starting to feel like a liability."

"Then we shall move you to a deeper room, soon," Elsa said. "Once you feel the need, of course. In the meantime, I will endeavor to keep things as comfortable as possible for you." She produced a flagon from her cloak and reached for a pitcher on the table. "Would you care for an iced flagon of milk?"

"I would love one," Anna said.

Curiously, though, while Elsa filled the cup with milk, she produced no ice of any kind. She passed it to Anna, a grin on her face. "Enjoy," she said.

Anna took the flagon by the handle, unsure of what to expect. When she put it to her lips, however, both the milk and the flagon itself were ice-cold. As she touched the flagon, she realized what Elsa had done.

"You froze the flagon, not the milk," she said. "That's brilliant!"

Elsa beamed with pride – not the smug, authoritarian aura that she had tried to project in their first couple of months together, but the natural luminescence of someone being praised for a job well done. "Thank you," she said.

Anna wanted to talk more, but found herself being pulled towards the colossal breakfast before her. Without directly asking, Elsa had gradually zeroed in on all of her favorite foods by trial and error, and her mouth had already begun to water. She dug into the food, savoring each bite. Elsa had a plate in front of her, but she suspected it was only for the sake of politeness that she ate at all. She seemed to take far more pleasure in watching Anna eat.

"The church never fed you this well, I would bet," Elsa said with satisfaction.

"No," Anna said, looking up from her eggs. "Not me, and not anyone below bishop."

Elsa scoffed. "Unsurprising," she said. "They've no respect for anyone or anything they think is beneath them."

Anna glanced up at her.

Elsa chuckled. "Well, I know for a fact _they're_ beneath me."

"At this point, I'm inclined to agree," Anna said. "Have you seen what they've done to their city lately?"

"The Vatican?" Elsa said. "No, I don't suppose I have. I'll have to check."

"I wouldn't recommend it," Anna said. "It's hallowed ground. Any creature of the night that sets foot there will be repelled or vanquished."

Elsa laughed. "You mustn't believe everything your elders tell you, dear girl. Those fools think a few stained-glass windows makes the place sacred. You wouldn't believe how many churches I've been able to set foot in."

Anna's eyes widened. "Really?"

Elsa nodded. "The looks on their faces are priceless. Especially the ones that realize it was all their fault."

Anna mused on this. "Desanctification," she murmured. "I'd heard it could happen, but I didn't think…"

"Humans never do," Elsa said. "I would wager there's not one pebble of holy ground in all the Vatican these days."

"…Perhaps," Anna said. Still, she looked troubled.

Elsa, meanwhile, was also in thought. "Even so," she said, "I could still take a look at what they've done to the place. Even if every inch of ground between here and the Vatican were sacred, and all the air above it as well, I could bear witness to it in an instant, without any trouble whatsoever."

Anna stroked her chin. Elsa had seemed to put a good deal of thought into her words just now, which meant she must've been telling her something specific. She parsed the sentence carefully.

"…Then you have some powers of far-sight," she said after a while. "No – some artifact with that power, or else you would've done so immediately. A crystal ball, perhaps?"

Elsa looked impressed. "Closer than you think," she said. "But a crystal ball couldn't come close to its power. It's my most prized possession, and I think it's time I showed it to you."

"Oh," Anna said, not having expected such a rapid development.

"Finish your breakfast, then meet me in my room," Elsa said. With that, she disappeared in a pillar of flame.

Anna looked down at her place, which was still mostly full of food. Then she glanced up at the door that would lead her to Elsa's room. Curiosity burned inside her, a towering, insatiable pyre. Reluctantly, she looked back down at her plate.

"Well, now that I know she might be watching…" she said with a sigh, picking up her knife and fork again.

xxxxxxx

Far too long later, Anna once again drew near Elsa's bedroom. She made the journey so quickly, she'd risked having her breakfast come back up again, so she took the last few steps more slowly.

The steel door that had once blocked her path was gone for good, and not just because of the damage. An oak door had replaced it - she'd said having an open doorway made it harder for her to sleep – but it was wide open every time Anna had approached, including now.

The room was dark, but by no means gloomy. Elsa sat on the lid of her coffin, legs crossed. Her pale face, hands and feet stood out against the room's dark red décor. "Enjoy the meal?" she asked.

"Quite," Anna said. "Your cooking is as exceptional as ever."

Elsa blinked. "How could you tell I cooked it this time?"

"Thralls can't get the eggs right," Anna explained. "They always break the yolks."

"Well, thank you," Elsa said, her cheeks turning pink. "It seems I can't get anything past you."

Seven months on, and the girl still managed to astonish her on a regular basis.

Anna shrugged. "It's imperative for those in my profession to pick up on patterns. You've seen it in my fights."

"Perhaps showing you this item would be a mistake, then," Elsa teased. "I shudder to think how dangerous you might become with a crystal ball, let alone this."

Anna grinned. "Well, should've thought of that before you made a promise, huh?" she said, taking a seat.

Elsa moved to scold her for her impertinence, but found herself unable to act against Anna's radiant cheer. The task of sating Anna's curiosity, Sisyphean though it might be, always brought her great joy. This, then, was sure to make both of them ecstatic.

"Indeed," Elsa said. "Since you're so eager, let's not waste another moment." She snapped her fingers.

From the corner of the room, the mirror sprung to life. Anna jumped as the shards rose from their pile and assembled into a large rectangular shape before her.

"What…is this?" Anna asked. For once, she seemed completely in the dark as to what it might be. She studied it from all angles, seeing only her own befuddled face staring back at her. "A magical mirror?"

Elsa chuckled. "I'm not surprised you've never seen one of these before," she said. "Only a handful exist in the entire world." She walked over to Anna's side, and the mirror swiveled to follow her. "Mirror," she said, "show me…show _us_ the Vatican."

Their reflections faded from view as the mirror worked its magic. Anna processed the command Elsa had just given it. "You're not saying…this thing can actually…?"

Elsa smiled. "See for yourself," she said, gesturing at the image now forming in the mirror. Anna looked, and her jaw dropped.

The entire Vatican City was on full display within the mirror. They looked down on it, in all of its chintzy glory, from the smaller buildings abutting the city walls to the grand cathedral at its center. In the gloom of night, nothing sparkled, but the sheer opulence was plain to see.

"Behold, the Carpathian mirror," Elsa declared. "Simply say the word, and any distant place shall be within your reach."

"Astonishing," Anna breathed. She reached out to touch the mirror. "I've never seen a far-sight enchantment produce such a clear- oh!"

She yelped as her fingers passed through the mirror. She pulled her hand back quickly, as if it had been bitten.

Elsa laughed heartily. "Show me a crystal ball that can do that!" she said.

"Oh my…oh my…" Anna repeated those two words over and over. She reached out again, passing her hands through the mirror, then her head.

A thought stuck her, and she yanked her head back. "What can they see?" she asked, gesturing at the city before them.

"A beautiful girl and a vampire, in a black square a hundred feet above the ground," Elsa replied, causing Anna to blush. "But I doubt anyone is scanning the skies looking for us. Even if they are, I shall withdraw the mirror before any harm comes to us. In the meantime, let me see what they've done with the place."

The view in the mirror began to shift, gliding along to reveal the entire city. Elsa analyzed it all, but her eyes were soon pulled to the main cathedral. "Gaudy," she noted. "Very gaudy. Gold crenellations, marble columns, no shortage of stained glass."

"Take a look at the front door," Anna said.

Elsa looked at it. The thing was thirty feet tall, and it put her old iron door to shame. Delicately painted carvings of angels and saints covered every square inch, with jewels accenting them. It was also closed tight.

"It's a real wonder of engineering," Anna said, though all wonder had left her voice. "It weighs almost a thousand pounds and takes ten minutes to open. Perhaps that's why they never do."

Elsa glanced at her.

"Yeah, I know, hyperbole," Anna said. "They barely ever open it. Nobody inside ventures out, and nobody on the outside is allowed in."

"I certainly can throw no stones there," Elsa said with a shrug.

"I assure you, you could," Anna said. "Their reception to newcomers is colder than you've ever been." She pointed beyond the cathedral. "Take a look at the city wall."

Elsa looked around. "Dear me, that must be forty feet tall."

"Forty-one," Anna said. "Do you recall when the new pope was chosen a decade ago? He commissioned those walls, and a portcullis at the main entrance to the city."

Elsa snorted. "A portcullis? Rather defensive of him."

"To the few who criticized him, he just rattled off some scripture about how 'the wise man built his house upon the rock,'" Anna said disdainfully. "Not that many complained. Those priests were happy to put up a wall between them and the unwashed masses."

She pointed at the cathedral. "See that? It could barely be called a cathedral. All the bishops and priests at the top live there, feasting and drinking all day. There's not an acolyte in the city who doesn't know where their tithes are going."

Elsa seemed completely unsurprised by all of this. "I suppose you couldn't build those walls on prayers alone."

"Oh, that's the best part," Anna said, the venom in her voice now palpable. "Do you know how they paid the builders for that wall?"

Elsa shook her head.

"Indulgences," Anna said.

Elsa looked at her funnily, sure she had to be joking. Then, when it was clear she wasn't, she burst out laughing. "Oh, that is incredible!" she declared. "All those riches, and they made God foot the bill for them?"

Elsa took another look at the cathedral, this time with Anna's criticisms in mind. Upon closer inspection, she could see one wing that clearly looked like high-end living quarters. The walls, fancy though they might be, were thick, sheer things. It more resembled a castle than a cathedral.

"Paranoid, this pope," she remarked.

Anna shook her head. "Not so," she said. "His concerns are wholly valid. If the good people of this land knew what their tithes were going to, they'd ransack the city."

Elsa laughed. "Ransack a 'holy' city? You'd have to be mad to do that."

Anna's shoulders drooped. "I suppose so," she said glumly.

"And regarding your supposed 'good people', well…" Elsa trailed off when she saw how dejected Anna looked. Though the sight of the Vatican had temporarily filled her with anger, now there was only disappointment in her eyes.

"Well, never mind," Elsa said. "Such things are not for us to worry about." She tapped on the mirror. "This mirror can show you anything that exists in this world. Why not ask to see something you've never seen before?"

Anna perked up a little. "Oh yes, I had forgotten," she said. "Can you ask it to-"

"It can hear you just as well as me," Elsa said. "You may address it yourself."

"Oh, I see," Anna said. She turned to the mirror. "Excuse me," she said. "Could you please show me a Daybloom?"

The image of the Vatican faded. It stayed blurry for quite some time, much longer than it had for their prior request. Elsa took that time to search within her memory. "Daybloom," she said to herself. "Ah yes, that flower you mentioned a few months ago. The one that only blooms for three days?"

Anna nodded. "I scoured all the relevant texts in your library. Two confirmed its existence, but neither had so much as a picture."

"Then it must be rare indeed," Elsa said.

The mirror finally came into focus. It showed a wilted flower, once-white petals now grey and brown. It unfocused again, this time showing a tiny shoot, an immature bud in a pot on a windowsill. After fading away again, it focused one last time, this time on a seed buried in dirt, before giving up.

"Dear me," Elsa said, looking surprised. "It seems this flower is so rare, none currently exist in full bloom in all the world. That is an eclectic thing you quarry indeed."

"Please don't make fun of me," Anna said, looking disappointed.

"I'm not," Elsa said sincerely. "I'm genuinely interested in seeing this thing myself now. Never once has my mirror actively failed to find something."

The mirror folded in on itself a little, somehow managing to look ashamed about its failure.

"But if you don't mind me saying so," Elsa said, "your requests thus far have been rather…terrestrial."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Meaning, you're thinking in miniscule terms of what you could be," Elsa said. "Nothing is beyond this mirror's reach, not even the stars above."

Anna put a hand to her chin. "Really?" she said. "All right, then. Mirror, please show me the Morning Star."

The mirror straightened itself, blurring and refocusing once more. This time it showed a metallic whip with a spiked ball on the end.

Elsa giggled. "I think she means Venus, mirror," she said.

Hastily, the image vanished from the mirror. When it refocused, it now showed a starry sky. Anna instinctively searched for constellations, but she stopped as the mirror zoomed in on the central image.

A swirling yellow-orange ball of rock and gas came into sharp relief before her eyes. Storms whirled around it as if whipped by demons, and lightning sparked all across it. As the mirror zoomed closer, each cloud became sharp and clearly defined. Anna stared, mesmerized.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Elsa said.

Anna turned to her. "This is what stars look like up close?"

Elsa shook her head. "Venus is no star, Anna," she said. "It's a planet, like Earth itself."

This revelation only pried Anna's eyes open wider. "There are other planets?" she said, swiveling back to look at it.

"There are nine, at least that we have found so far," Elsa answered. "If there are more beyond, we just don't know how to look for them."

Anna hesitantly reached out a hand towards the mirror. Elsa gently grabbed it.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," she said. "Space is no place for a human. You could never survive it."

"You could?" Anna asked.

Elsa grinned slyly. "Mirror, show me empty space, shielded from the sun."

The mirror swirled again, switching to a view that was nothing but stars. Elsa glanced at her, and Anna realized she must've been leading her to this point this whole time.

Elsa backed towards the mirror, eyes locked on Anna the whole time. "Behold," she said, taking one last step and leaning backward, as if jumping off a cliff. She fell back, to a point.

As she passed through the mirror, she stopped falling and began to float. Now weightless, she looked back at Anna, who was gaping. She raised her hands in front of her, palms pointing back at the mirror.

_Now, to see if this will work with ice._

Streams of ice erupted from her palms, of relatively small, yet precisely equal power. She floated backwards, away from the small rectangle through which Anna watched breathlessly. Then she dropped her arms to her sides and really let loose.

She soared up – at least from Anna's perspective. To her, there was neither up nor down now. She blasted through space, leaving twin trails of ice behind her. She looped around, twirling and flipping as she did so. She put one arm in front of her and one behind, causing her to spin around at great speed. All of these moves, once performed with fire, now took on a new beauty as the icy trails persisted, hanging in the air for seconds before dissolving. Where she had once done them on her own, now she had an audience – one utterly captivated by the sight before her.

Every glance she stole back at Anna, the girl seemed more in awe. She clasped her hands together, and her face sported the widest smile Elsa had ever seen. She seemed to not be saying anything – just as well, as Elsa couldn't hear her in the vacuum. Her negative thoughts about the church seemed a million miles away, and in a sense, they were. Elsa felt her own chest swelling with joy as her ice did exactly what she wanted it to.

_Now, for the real stunt._

She flew to a point where Anna was looking down at her. Picturing herself on a flat surface parallel to the mirror, she pointed herself diagonally up and shot off. She curved as she did so, forming the shape of an upside-down fishhook. At the hook's tip, she reversed course abruptly, then drew its mirror image. She ended up back where she'd started, where the tip of her trail was just starting to fade. She then flew behind the shape she had just drawn to examine it, then looked at Anna through it.

She could tell at once that Anna loved it. The heart shone brightly against the backdrop of space, and through it she saw Anna's eyes welling up with tears. Instantly, any anxiety of a failed gesture died in Elsa's mind. Surely, this must be as romantic as a gesture could be.

Anna opened her arms wide, and suddenly Elsa felt a powerful desire to be between them. The empty space between them was now intolerable.

She pointed herself at Anna and shot forward. She must've been quite the sight, shooting through space with her cloak billowing around her. Anna's tears of joy dripped down her face as she held her arms open.

As Elsa passed through the mirror, she felt gravity take hold of her again. Anna grabbed her just in time to take the both of them down together. They fell to the carpeted floor, wrapped in each other's arms.

"You're amazing," Anna whispered, still crying.

"That would not have been possible without you," Elsa said.

"You're the most amazing person in the world – the entire cosmos," Anna said.

Elsa shook her head. "The most amazing person in the world is right in front of me," she said. "Believe me, I've checked."

Though she had been in the cold depths of space a moment prior, she had never felt warmer.


	24. Chapter 24: Soft as silk

**Chapter twenty-four**

**Soft as silk**

Within her coffin, all outside noises were dulled – still not silent to her ears, but perhaps as close as she could get.

Elsa lay there now, arms crossed. The plush walls and cover enclosed her on all sides, feeling welcomingly snug. In here, she knew peace and comfort of a kind that didn't exist in the outside world. Real sleep, the kind humans were capable of, had been hers for such a short time, she couldn't say for certain whether or not she was even capable of it. In here, though, she came as close as possible. Her thoughts slowed, quieted, and a deep relaxation entered her body. Her eyes could truly close.

She had not known any facsimile of sleep for almost a century after turning. It had taken much time and turmoil to discover the benefits a coffin could grant her, and constructing one was no easy feat. Even if she'd had one back then, it would have done her far more harm than good. To be alone inside her own head, with no ambient noises or outside distractions to quell her thoughts, would have been pure, white-hot agony.

In time, though, one can learn to do anything – even how to stop thinking. Thus did she while away thousands of hours, thinking of nothing or next to nothing. If not for all of this time spent at peace, she would have gone crazy decades ago.

Such peace was far from her now, though. Anna had ensured that.

Like everything else about her, Anna's progress had been truly remarkable. In seven months – seven _months! _– she had set her sights on the many defense mechanisms Elsa had developed over the past seven centuries, and endeavored to destroy them. Not by proving them inadequate, but by supplanting them entirely. And the most incredible thing was, she was succeeding.

_Why couldn't I have met someone like this sooner? If she'd been around in my early years, maybe I wouldn't have had to…_

She shook her head. No need to dive back into those days just to wonder what might have been. Once again, she tried to focus on the important questions.

_Never did I think that a human could be so _right_ about so many things. She knew how to manage my ice better than I did! And if she's right about that…what else might she be right about?_

Were humans not the violent, brutish species she had found them to be? Anna wasn't, obviously, but how many more of them were like her? Could there be some benefit to trying to live with them, rather than live off them? Would that even be possible?

_Am I not a monster?_

This question terrified her more than all the rest. Just by pondering it, she summoned a cascade of memories, as if to quash the very idea. Memories of pain, anger, and blood. So much blood.

She'd killed thousands upon thousands, and not just to feed. She'd let hatred and rage consume her, and caused pain solely for her own pleasure. How could anyone do those things and not be a monster? It seemed laughable to even suggest it.

And yet…

Elsa sighed. The swirling storm inside her head began to subside.

_And yet, Anna is unwavering._

She wasn't blind to depravity, or else she never could've smelled the decay of the church. She hadn't been told the true extent of the sins she'd committed, but she'd fought and killed other vampires – clearly she had no qualms about doing so. It would be easy to say Anna was just trying to reform her, and willing to hold her nose about everything she'd done in pursuit of that end, but…no. She'd seen Anna try to lie, and she wasn't particularly good at it. After seven months, her motives were, though inexplicable, plain to see. Anna wanted to be with her.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she shifted her legs subconsciously. Lust, that most basic of human instincts, was just as easy to ignite in her. With another sigh, she realized sleep was no longer possible today.

_Should I summon a thrall? Or…her?_

She shivered at the thought. She had wanted to do just that for two months now. Well, in terms of emotional yearning, at least – in terms of physical desire, she'd wanted to since the moment they met. But each time she tried to work up the courage to do it, she'd failed.

For once, it wasn't for lack of experience. Her thralls had entertained her in every way she could possibly conceive, and most of them were not difficult to learn. For them, it was just muscle memory. But a thrall could feel no pain, even if she pulled on its hair and a clump came off in her hand. Even if she sank her teeth into its flesh in the heat of the moment. Even if its arm was frozen solid, and she-

_Idiot! Don't think about the ice!_

She looked down at her hands. Mercifully, her powers had not activated yet. She must've caught it at the last second, or maybe her awareness had preempted it. Either way, it was all thanks to Anna. With just a couple more sessions, she'd made remarkable progress. One more thing to thank her for. One more reason she couldn't-

_knock knock_

Her thoughts came to a halt instantly. She sat bolt upright, shoving aside her coffin lid. There was no mistaking that knock.

She made her way to the door with leaden feet. Frantically, she tried to dispel every thought she'd had in the last two minutes from her head. She was probably blushing again, but there was no helping that.

_Be calm. She could be here for anything._

She pulled the door open. Anna was standing there. The moment she saw Elsa, her eyes locked onto her.

"I hope I didn't wake you," Anna said. Her voice was low. Low and sultry.

"No, of course not," Elsa said.

She was definitely blushing now. In just a few seconds, the list of possible reasons for Anna being here had waned considerably.

"So…what can I do for you?" Elsa asked, straining to mask her emotions.

"My room is cold," Anna said. Her eyes were half-lidded, but not from drowsiness. In fact, her body seemed to be humming with energy.

"Ah. Then…have you chosen a new room?" Elsa asked weakly. One last futile attempt to play dumb.

Anna stepped through the doorway and advanced towards Elsa. "Yes."

Her voice was like golden honey. Elsa felt herself rooted in place, unable to take a single step back. Anna strode towards her and placed her hands on Elsa's head, pulling it down, but it was wholly unnecessary. At this point, Elsa's body was acting on instinct.

Anna's kiss was ravenous. Never before had she kissed with such burning intensity. Despite not needing to breathe, Elsa could barely keep up. "Anna-" she managed, before their lips locked again.

Not two minutes ago, she had come up with reason upon reason to avoid doing just this. At the moment, though, none of them were coming to mind.

Besides, even if she wanted to stop, how could she? She couldn't get a single word out, pushing Anna away was out of the question, and every step backwards was also a step towards her bed.

Her heel brushed against the bedframe, and she fell back onto it. The distance between her and Anna remained constant.

Together, they sank into the bed. Anna broke off her kiss, only to attend to other things. She lowered her head to Elsa's ear and began to nibble on it. Elsa gasped.

"Sorry for springing this on you," Anna whispered, barely louder than a breath. "You know how impatient we humans can be."

Her sensuous voice sent shivers down Elsa's spine. "I-I unders-stand," she stammered, trying to keep her head clear enough for a witty comeback. She could not.

Anna released her ear and started a trail of kisses, traveling down the side of her face all the way to her collarbone. Elsa, in turn, let out a series of small gasps – not for need of oxygen, but from astonishment at how amazing it felt.

_No, _I _should be the one making _her_ feel this good! She deserves it more!_

Without speaking, she wrapped an arm around Anna's waist and gently turned her over. Anna allowed herself to be guided onto the bed, and her head came to rest against the pillow. Elsa straddled her, placing her hands to either side of Anna's head. Her braid hung down on one side, touching the pillow, so short was the distance between them. Then that distance, too, vanished.

Their kiss resumed in earnest, with Elsa taking the lead this time. She put both her hands around Anna, lifting her back ever so slightly off the bed. Their bodies were now fully pressed together, and Elsa felt the full contours of Anna's figure against hers. The feeling was intoxicating.

As they kissed, Anna's leg brushed against hers. Her leg started at Elsa's feet and moved up, slowly lifting her cloak with it until her long legs were fully exposed. She moved her leg back and forth a few more times, rubbing it repeatedly.

That really did it.

Elsa pressed forward, her movements growing more restless by the second. She was fully drunk, now, on the sensory overload Anna had become. She reached down at Anna's shirt, unable to stand its presence anymore. Little thought guided her hand, as she was acting purely on instinct now.

_RRRRRIP_

xxxxxxx

Anna yelped, more surprised by the sound than the feeling. Elsa's reaction was far more dramatic.

Her eyes grew wide as dinner plates. Moving in a state of frantic panic, she broke off her kiss and hurled her own body away from Anna. This sent her off the bed and onto the floor, but it seemed she felt even this distance was inadequate, as she scrambled to her feet and backed away further.

"Elsa?" she said worriedly, sitting upright.

Elsa was shaking uncontrollably. "A-a-are you hurt?" she asked. She was scared, more scared than Anna had ever seen or heard her.

Anna looked down at her now bare chest. Her shirt had been torn to pieces, four long gashes fully rending it from neck to waist, but her skin was untouched. "No, I'm fine," she said.

Elsa sighed in relief. "Thank god," she said. Still, she didn't take a step forward.

"…Okay then," Anna said after a moment. "Can we resume?"

"You really want me to?" Elsa said in disbelief. "After what you just saw?"

"Of course," Anna said. "I'll admit, you took me by surprise, but…I know you have a flair for the dramatic."

Elsa shook her head. "Anna, I didn't mean to do that," she said. "I was trying to remove it normally."

"Oh," Anna said. She began to see what was worrying Elsa, and moved to calm her down. "But it's fine. Look at me. Perfectly fine."

"You're not getting it, Anna," Elsa said, the shaking in her voice intensifying. "I used more of my strength than I intended to. What if that had happened a few moments later? What if I wasn't touching your clothing, but your skin instead?"

Her statement gave Anna pause, as she briefly considered that mental image.

Elsa put her hands on her head. "I knew this would happen," she moaned. "I lost control, I wasn't thinking, and I nearly…nearly…" She looked close to tears.

Anna stood up. "But you didn't. It was a moment's slip-up, that's all." She took a step forward. "You can't beat yourself up over-"

Elsa stepped back. "So you want to give me another chance?" she said hysterically. "See if I draw blood this time?"

Anna stepped back, as it looked like Elsa might bolt from the room.

Gradually, the tension in Elsa's body relaxed. She slumped her shoulders and hung her head in shame. "You should go," she said. "I'm sorry."

Anna folded her arms. "I'm not leaving you," she said firmly.

"We can try this again later," Elsa said. "Once I've had time to prepare."

"Elsa, you should know how this goes by now," Anna said. "I won't leave, and you can't make me."

Elsa rubbed her face. "For god's sake, Anna," she said. "This is for your own good! It's too dangerous right now, can't you see that? If my strength doesn't hurt you, my ice surely will!"

"What ice?" Anna said.

Elsa blinked. She looked around the room. Despite her emotional outburst, there wasn't so much as a snowflake in sight. She looked at her hands. Not even a trickle. "I don't understand," she murmured.

Anna smiled. "You underestimate yourself," she said.

"Is it because I…" Elsa began, before stopping herself. "That's irrelevant. Even without the ice, I'm still a danger to you. What just happened, and anything that might happen if we went forward, is my fault."

"No, it's not," Anna said. "It's mine."

Elsa tried to interrupt, but Anna held her finger up.

"I really did spring this on you before you were ready. I let my own needs get the better of me, and I pushed you without thinking." She put a hand to her chin. "But now that I _am _thinking…I may have an idea."

Elsa seemed skeptical. "What kind of idea?"

"Something to help you control your strength. Tell me, what baseline do you typically use?"

Elsa scratched her head. "Baseline? I've not typically used one."

Anna nodded. "That's what I thought," she said. "I'm starting to see why you have so many big, heavy doors. In that case, this will definitely help."

"Okay," Elsa said, her curiosity piqued. "What do I need to do?"

Anna climbed back onto the bed, kneeling on the top half. "First, get on the bed, like this," she said.

Elsa frowned. She stayed in place.

"Elsa, please," Anna said. "Trust me on this."

"I do," Elsa said. Still, she didn't move a muscle.

"Then trust yourself, too," Anna said.

Elsa let out a bitter chuckle. "That's a much bigger ask," she said. Nevertheless, she took a shaky step forward.

"Trust yourself like I trust you, Elsa," Anna said encouragingly.

"Don't ask the impossible of me," Elsa said.

Every step she took was like moving through molasses. Regardless, she was drawing closer and closer. Anna resisted the urge to hop off the bed and approach her, forcing herself to be patient.

Finally, Elsa reached the bed and knelt on it. She took the far end, as distant from Anna as possible. "Now what?" she asked.

Anna held out her hands, spreading them wide and pointing her palms towards Elsa. "Take my hands," she said.

Elsa did as she was told, cautiously extending her own arms. With the absolute minimum amount of force she could muster, she closed her hands, interlacing her fingers between Anna's.

"Now," Anna said, "I'm going to push. I want you to push back with equal strength. Where we are right now is the equilibrium point. If you're leaning back and I'm leaning forward, you're using less force than me. If we're both sitting up straight, that means we're using equal force. Once we reach that point, I'll push a little harder, and we'll do it again. We'll keep going until I'm pushing as strongly as I think we should. When we're done, you'll have a good baseline for how much of your strength to use. Does that make sense?"

"I suppose," Elsa said, her voice uncertain.

"Let's start, then," Anna said. She began to push lightly. Almost instantly, she found herself leaning forward. "Elsa…"

"Give me a second," Elsa said. Slowly, very gradually, she started pushing back. At first it was barely anything, but in time Anna felt herself being pushed upright. As soon as they reached the equilibrium point, Elsa stopped increasing her strength.

"Good," Anna said. "Now a little more."

She pushed harder, and again Elsa was pushed back. Anna gave her best warm, reassuring smile, and Elsa increased her strength again. They leveled off once more.

"Good. More."

They pushed harder still.

"More."

They continued like this back and forth, pushing incrementally harder. Anna watched Elsa regain her confidence at a glacial pace. Eventually, they reached Anna's limit – or rather, as far as she'd want to go.

"Hold steady," Anna commanded. Elsa obliged, the force of her push not varying at all. Anna smiled. "That's how hard I want you to push," she said.

Elsa dared to crack a smile. "I understand," she said.

"Now, stop pushing, and next we'll- oh!" As Anna slowly reduced her pushing power, Elsa ceased pushing instantly. As a result, Anna fell forward immediately, smacking into Elsa and pushing them both onto the bed.

"Sorry," Elsa said, looking abashed once more.

"It's fine, it's fine," Anna said. "I wasn't specific enough." She returned to her knees and raised her arms once more. "Next, we'll do pulling force."

It was a much more confident Elsa that took her hands this time, though she was still visibly shaken. "Okay," Elsa said. "Lead, and I will follow."

Anna did just that, and they repeated the process, pulling against each other this time. At one point, Elsa squeezed her fingers too tightly, but she was staring so intently at her face, she picked up on this fact instantly and relieved the pressure.

When they reached Anna's peak, she nodded. "That's how hard you should pull," she said. Elsa nodded back. "Now, _gently_ stop pulling." Elsa obliged, blushing a little.

"Did I do well?" she asked.

Anna smiled warmly. "You did perfectly," she said. "Now, do you feel ready?"

Elsa put her hands together and pushed herself, frowning thoughtfully at her hands. "Let us do it again," she said after some consideration. She raised her hands back to the starting position.

"You got it," Anna said, taking her hands again. Her body thrummed with impatience, but if Elsa could suppress her strength, she could suppress her own libido for this short time.

They ended up pushing and pulling twice more. Each time, they slowly inched their bodies forward, closer and closer together – Elsa subconsciously, Anna very much consciously. It was all worth it to see the confidence return to Elsa's face.

"Now how do you feel?" Anna asked as they let go once again.

Elsa smiled. "Better," she said. "Much better. I…I think I'm ready."

"Wonderful," Anna said. She pulled her arms back, allowing the tattered remnants of her shirt to slide off. Then she leaned back until she was lying on the bed and kicked her legs out in front of her. "Why don't you finish what you started, then?" she said seductively, gesturing down at her remaining article of clothing.

Elsa's eyes widened, but she nodded. "I will," she said. She leaned forward, reaching for Anna's pants. With incredibly delicate movements, she untied the knot in front, then slid them down her legs and discarded them. She leaned back for a moment, and…admired her handiwork.

Anna allowed her sex drive to finally kick back into action. She raised her arms above her head, posing as seductively as she could. Elsa's eyes pored over every inch of her body, hungrily taking all of her in. "Your turn," Anna said.

Elsa nodded. She took a single finger and ran it down the front of her own cloak, cutting through it just as easily as she had Anna's shirt. When she had reached the end, she shrugged off the two halves of her cloak and tossed it aside, letting it pool on the floor. There was nothing underneath but Elsa.

Her figure was flawless. Against the darkness of the room, her pale body seemed to shine. Anna bit her lip as she looked her up and down, marveling at the beautiful curves the cloak had only teased at. She was every bit as beautiful as Anna had imagined. Her eyes began to water.

_After so long…it's finally time._

Wordlessly, she lifted her arm and beckoned. Elsa nodded.

She moved slowly this time, lowering herself to the bed and crawling forward. She ran her fingers along Anna's torso, more gently than any human ever had. Anna's skin turned to goosebumps, and she let out a needy whimper.

As soon as Elsa's head reached hers, she took it in both hands and they finally resumed their kiss. They moved slower this time, Elsa being careful not to rush and Anna striving not to rush her.

Her body, though, soon found a mere kiss to be inadequate. She began to writhe on the bed, her legs moving back and forth as she grabbed the bedsheets with her toes. Elsa became aware of her condition quickly, and she pulled back for a moment.

Mouth free, Anna uttered just one word. "More," she breathed.

Elsa nodded. She kissed her again, and grabbed her breast. Anna's moan passed straight from her mouth into Elsa's, passing through no air in between. With a gentle yet firm touch, Elsa massaged her breast, syncing with the rhythm of her quick, heavy breaths.

With one hand, Anna clutched the sheets beneath her. With her other, she reached out and took Elsa's breast in her hand. She moved with purpose, rubbing her thumb back and forth against Elsa's nipple. Elsa began to mewl, signaling that her own ecstasy was building, but her grip didn't strengthen a hair.

This new status quo could only go on for so long. When Elsa separated from her next, she nodded. "More!" she moaned.

Elsa didn't miss a beat. She leaned back and took Anna's left leg in her hand, then lifted. As she did, she took her right leg and put it under Anna's left. Then she thrust forward.

Anna moaned as Elsa's sex touched hers. She arched her back and thrust her body towards Elsa's as best she could. The glorious sound of Elsa's moan nearly melted her into a puddle. "Yes!" she gasped, leaving Elsa with no question about what to do next.

Elsa backed away slightly, then thrust forward again. Anna lifted her body up and thrust as well. Elsa proved herself a capable partner once again, keeping a steady rhythm even as she threw her own head back and gasped.

They were no longer in a position to kiss, but Elsa extended her arms, palms pointed at Anna. Anna grabbed her hands, interlacing her fingers just as they had done minutes ago.

Anna closed her eyes, but the backs of her eyelids seemed bright as day as she dove deeper into an ocean of pleasure. She felt Elsa speeding up, and knew the climax was in sight. She knew she wouldn't last much longer, either.

"Yes," she moaned. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES! ELSA!"

"Ahh! Anna!" Elsa gasped.

Anna felt nothing but euphoria as the climax coursed through her. Then it was gone, taking all of her energy with it.

She fell back onto the bed, panting as she clutched the sweat-soaked sheets. Her breathing slowly returned to normal. Elsa laboriously climbed up the bed, coming to rest right beside her. Anna wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in tight.

"That was wonderful," she said breathily. "Thank you."

"It was," Elsa agreed. "I don't think it's ever felt that good before."

"Not for me, either," Anna said. "But then I've never done it with someone I love before."

Elsa's surprise, though muted by her post-coital calm, was still clear, especially inches from Anna's face. "Love," she repeated, a smile blooming on her face.

"Yes," Anna said. "I've been waiting for the perfect moment to say it. This is as perfect as it gets."

Elsa embraced her tightly, at their maximum agreed-upon strength. "Oh, Anna," she said, tilting her forehead in until they were touching. "I didn't even know if I could, but I love you, Anna. My Anna."

Anna nodded. Not a word more needed to be said. They just lay there together, with their arms and legs intertwined. Soon, even their tears mixed together.

They drifted off to sleep shortly after, Elsa falling silent with a peaceful look on her face. Anna did shortly after, though with some regret, as she knew her dreams couldn't possibly compare to this.

_It's going to be a warm winter._


End file.
